Jenny Jefferies shares a Champagne oysters recipe
Jenny Jefferies shares another delicious recipe with us.
Oysters have been enjoyed for centuries by humans around the world and there are two types of oysters widely consumed and available here in the UK.
The Pacific, or rock, oyster is available all year round and the native, or flat, oyster is available from September to April, so please do make the most of these over the next few months.
Like fine wine, oysters have many different flavour profiles, including briny, sweet, metallic, and buttery.
The flavour of an oyster depends on the salinity of the water where it lives and a simple squeeze of fresh lemon or lime over raw oysters can enhance their briny flavor and provides a zesty contrast.
These aquaculture species, are a naturally low carbon food, but they also help deliver wider environmental improvements such as improving water quality and providing habitats for other species.
They really are the superfood of the century.
Here is a recipe for Champagne Oysters by Tristan Hugh-Jones of Rossmore Oysters Ltd as featured in For the Love of the Sea II.
Tristan Hugh-Jones says: “There’s nothing I enjoy more than being out on the boat on a bright sunny morning, having my working day dictated by the tides rather than anything else, and just being part of the cycle of growing and nurturing our baby oysters…”
CHAMPAGNE OYSTERS
“My wife Vickie loves cooked oysters (more than just slurping them straight from the sea) and whilst visiting her sister-in-law in Shanagarry, County Cork, found this was a delightful way to consume oysters with very little stress, for great enjoyment.”
PREPARATION TIME: 40 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: 3-4 MINUTES | SERVES 6
Ingredients:
18 large native oysters
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 bottle of Champagne
1⁄2 pint of double cream
Black pepper, to taste
Method:
Place the finely chopped shallots and champagne in a pan on a medium heat. Simmer until the liquid has reduced to about a third of the original volume.
Add the cream and any oyster juices with a little black pepper, then continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced to about half a pint in total.
Preheat the grill and open the oysters so the meat is completely detached, then place the oysters in their cupped shells on the grill tray.
Divide the sauce between the oysters and place under the grill on a high heat for 3-4 minutes until the sauce bubbles and turns golden brown. Allow the oysters to cool slightly and then serve immediately!
Please also enjoy this recipe for ‘Red Snapper Oysters with Pickled Celery’ by Gemma Tidmarsh of Richard Haward’s Oysters, as featured in my award-winning For the Love of the Sea; A Cookbook to Celebrate the British Seafood Community & Their Food.
“I chose this recipe as it makes the perfect appetiser or canapé for a party. A Red Snapper is like a Bloody Mary but made with gin instead of vodka.
“We use our own oysters and a gin that’s distilled near Mersea Island.” By Gemma Tidmarsh
PREPARATION TIME: 1 HOUR (INCLUDING PICKLING) | SERVES 4 (WE WOULD SUGGEST AT LEAST 2 OYSTERS PER PERSON)
Ingredients:
6 celery sticks
125ml cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
Large handful of crushed ice
1.25 litres tomato juice
300ml dry gin
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp Tabasco
1 tsp horseradish
Ground black pepper
Pinch of Maldon sea salt
8 rock (gigas) oysters
1 lemon, zested
Method:
Firstly, you will need to pickle the celery to put on top of the dressed oysters. Finely dice 2 of the 6 celery sticks and place in a bowl.
Cover with the cider vinegar and sugar. Stir thoroughly then leave the celery to pickle for 1 hour. Now you need to make the Red Snappers.
This recipe will make 4 drinks and enough left over to dress 8 oysters. Don’t make these until the celery has had time to pickle and you’re ready to enjoy the oysters.
They’re the perfect drink to accompany them, especially with a local gin: we use a locally distilled gin called ‘The Oysterman’.
You will also need a cocktail shaker or a jug. Put the crushed ice, tomato juice, gin, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, horseradish, black pepper and sea salt into the cocktail shaker or jug.
Shake to mix everything thoroughly. Add more crushed ice to 4 glasses then pour the Red Snapper mixture over the top.
You will have the equivalent of 1 glass remaining to dress the oysters. Trim the 4 remaining celery sticks and place one in each glass.
Now it is time to shuck your oysters. Once you have shucked them, drizzle them with the remaining Red Snapper mixture and top with the pickled celery, lemon zest and some cracked black pepper.
Serve on a bed of seaweed and ice and wash them down with a Red Snapper!
See Jenny’s other recipes here. Jenny Jefferies is the author of the For the Love of the Land and for the Love of the Sea series, and Islands in a Common Sea: Stories of Farming, Fishing and Food Around the World. A Love British Food Ambassador, Jenny is married to a farmer and lives in South Cambridgeshire. Follow her on Instagram at @jennyljefferies.
