Hot Oysters on the Half Shell

This recipe comes from James Peterson, author of Cooking (Ten Speed Press, 2007).

Serves 4 as a first course

Hot oysters in the shell make a dramatic first course or hors d’oeuvre.  The various elements—stuffings, sauces, and the oysters themselves—can be prepared ahead of time and heated and broiled just before serving. The “stuffings” are mixtures to put under the oyster in the shell.  The topping can be as simple as a sprinkling of bread crumbs, a more complicated sauce made from the oyster juices, or a completely independent sauce, such as the curried hollandaise in the recipe below.  These oysters are very rich; three is the right amount for a first course.

12 oysters, shucked, detached from the bottom shell
10 ounces spinach, stems removed
3 tablespoons cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup hollandaise sauce (recipe on reverse)
Paprika, to taste

1. Detach the oysters from the bottom shells; refrigerate oysters in a bowl until needed.  Scrub the bottom shells and place them on a sheet pan covered with a crumpled sheet of aluminum foil so the shells stay flat under the broiler.

2. Twenty minutes before you’re ready to serve, put the shells in the oven and heat the oven to 275 degrees.

3. Stir the spinach leaves into 2 quarts of boiling water.  As soon as they wilt, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.  Squeeze out the water.  Ten minutes before you’re ready to serve, boil the cream in a small saucepan until it gets very thick—almost to the point where it’s going to separate—and season it with salt and pepper.  Add the spinach and stir over medium heat to heat it through.

4. Put the oysters in a small saucepan over medium heat until the liquid froths around the edges and the oysters curl around their edges.  Don’t let the liquid boil.  Remove oysters with a slotted spoon and place them on a clean kitchen towel.  Cover the oysters with another towel.

5. In a small saucepan, heat the curry powder in butter over medium heat while stirring until it smells fragrant, about a minute.  Stir the curry mixture into the hollandaise.

6. Preheat the broiler.  Place a small spoonful of spinach into each oyster shell and place an oyster on top.  Spoon a tablespoon of hollandaise over each oyster.  Slide the oysters under the broiler and broil until the sauce bubbles up and lightly browns.  Sprinkle with paprika and serve immediately.

Hollandaise Sauce

Serves 6

There is a whole family of classic sauces made by whisking water with egg yolks and adding clarified butter. The flavoring that’s added is what gives the sauce its particular identity—lemon juice produces hollandaise; an infusion of wine vinegar, pepper, tarragon, and shallots turns it into a béarnaise sauce.

3 tablespoons cold water
3 egg yolks
16 tablespoons clarified butter (approximately 2/3 cup)
Salt, pepper and lemon juice, to taste

1. Combine the water and egg yolks in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water.

2. Whisk rapidly until the mixture froths up and then loses a little volume.  You will see deep traces on the bottom of the pan.  Immediately remove from heat.

3. Whisk in the butter, about a tablespoon at a time.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add lemon juice to taste.

This recipe was demonstrated as part of the Market to Table events organized by CUESA, the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. www.cuesa.org.