Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters Rockefeller were invented in 1889 at Antoine’s restaurant in New Orleans. The dish consists of warm oysters in the shell, finished with a buttery, green herb layer and a crisp breadcrumb topping, briefly gratinéed in the oven.

Serves: 4
Preparation: ± 10 minutes
Cooking: ± 20 minutes
Total time: ± 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 24 raw oysters in the shell
• 80 g unsalted butter
• 60 g fresh spinach
• 1 small shallot
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tablespoons dry vermouth (or dry white wine)
• 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley (about 10 g, finely chopped)
• 1 lemon
• 50 g panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• coarse sea salt or aluminium foil (for the baking tray)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (conventional).
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper and make a thick layer of coarse sea salt on it, or shape rings from folded aluminium foil. You can stand the oysters upright in these so they don’t tip over.
3. Carefully open the oysters over a bowl. Catch the liquid. Loosen the flesh from the lower shell, but leave it in the shell.
4. Place the lower shells with the oysters in the coarse salt or in the foil rings on the baking tray. If you like, spoon a small amount of the reserved oyster liquor back over the shells.
5. Wash the spinach, pat dry well and cut into thin strips.
6. Peel and finely chop the shallot and the garlic.
7. Finely chop the parsley.
8. Melt 40 g of the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the panko. Set aside.

Cooking

1. Heat the butter
   Heat the remaining 40 g butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.
2. Soften the shallot
   Soften the shallot for 3–4 minutes until soft and translucent, without letting it colour.
3. Fry the garlic briefly
   Add the garlic and fry gently for about 1 more minute.
4. Wilt the spinach
   Add the spinach and the chopped parsley to the pan and stir until the spinach has wilted.
5. Deglaze and reduce
   Deglaze with the vermouth and reduce briefly until most of the liquid has evaporated.
6. Season and let cool
   Season the vegetable mixture with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for a few minutes so it becomes slightly firmer.
7. Spoon the herb mixture over the oysters
   Use a small spoon to evenly divide the spinach-herb mixture over the oysters in the shell.
8. Sprinkle over the panko
   Sprinkle a layer of the butter-mixed panko over each oyster and press very lightly.
9. Gratiné the oysters
   Slide the baking tray into the middle of the hot oven and gratiné for 6–8 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden and the oysters are just cooked. Keep a close eye on them: they must not dry out.
10. Serve immediately
    Carefully remove the oysters from the oven and serve them immediately on a platter, optionally again on a bed of coarse sea salt.
11. Serve the lemon alongside
    Cut the lemon into wedges and serve alongside. Guests can squeeze a very small amount of lemon juice over the oysters to taste.
12. Choose a very hot oven and a short gratin time
    Prefer a very hot oven and a short gratin time rather than a longer time at a lower temperature. This keeps the oyster tender and juicy, while the herb layer and breadcrumbs turn nicely golden and lightly crisp.