Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell with Mignonette
A featured Wine Club recipe for Spring Street Winery.
Description
Taste the lively acidity of a Chenin Blanc from your wine deliveries as it interacts wonderfully with the mineral aspects of the oysters and the tart/sweet aspects of the mignonette.
Yield: 2Prep Time: 35 Minutes
Cook Time: 0 Minutes
Ingredients
• Purchase oysters fresh from a known source and maintain low temperature.
For the Mignonette:
(best when made 2-3 hours in advance so the flavors meld)
• 1/2 cup minced shallots (about 2 1/2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup clear, unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt (to taste)
• 1 1/4 teaspoon of finely crushed white peppercorns (do not use pre-ground or powdered white pepper)
Instructions
Shuck the oysters:
Oysters must be shucked by hand and it’s a little bit tricky, but essentially you need to place the oyster knife head into the hinge of the oyster while holding down on a solid surface with a kitchen towel and or glove and pry open the oyster. Once open, cut the valve off the top shell and then cut the valve off the bottom shell. I usually flip the oyster meat over when doing this. Make sure the oyster meat is clean and free of shell crumbs, if not you can gently rinse out any debris in the shell making sure to drain any excess water. Serve the half shells on crushed ice so they are cold and make a pretty presentation. If you have seaweed available it makes a nice garnish.
When eating make sure to stir the mignonette with a small spoon suspending the ingredients within the vinegar. Scoop up some of this goodness and place into an oyster. Pick up and slide into you mouth for a beautiful gift from the sea.
For the Mignonette:
Combine the ingredients above into a small bowl and mix with a fork or small whisk. Stir periodically and will improve over 4 hours to 2 days, yet will last refrigerated for up to 30 days.
Recipe provided by Spring Street Winery.
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