This Oyster Rockefeller recipe is on the money

I was lucky enough to enjoy a few beautifully plump and sweet Native Rossmore oysters at the Eurotoques Food Awards which took place in Airfield Estate, Dublin on September 23rd. 

We, a community of chefs and producers gathered to celebrate the diversity and excellence of Irish artisan producers. 

Rupert Hugh Jones of Rossmore Oysters was awarded in the Water Category for his exceptional native Irish oysters and their contribution to regenerative aquaculture in Ireland. 

I’ve been delighted to have Rossmore Oysters on the menu in Goldie for the past three years, the farm is a 15-minute drive from our restaurant, a spin I usually do once a week.

Oysters, like wine, are greatly influenced by the location in which they are grown, their terroir. 

For this weekend’s recipe I was lucky to get my hands on some Cromane Bay oysters from Castlemaine Harbour, County Kerry. 

These bivalve molluscs neighbour the Atlantic Ocean, the Maine, Laune and Caragh rivers contributing to a subtly smoky, briny and sweet oyster.

Cooked oysters of any kind are a terrific way to introduce the wary to enjoying these profoundly delicious shellfish. Oysters are such a fantastic celebratory food. 

Often perceived as elitist, they are quite economical when compared to other available seafoods. 

This Oyster Rockefeller is great for entertaining as everything can be prepared in advance and popped in a very hot oven just before serving. 

I’ve used chervil in this recipe but any soft herb like parsley, tarragon, fennel fronds or dill would work very well too.

Oyster Rockefeller

This Oyster Rockefeller is great for entertaining as everything can be prepared in advance and popped in a very hot oven just before serving.

Preparation Time

 25 mins

Ingredients

• 12 shucked oysters

• Zest 1 lemon

• 1 bunch chervil, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 130g unsalted butter (at room temperature)

• 65g panko breadcrumbs

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Method

1. Prepare a roasting tray with a bed of salt. This will provide a stable base to hold the oysters in place as you are shucking and while they are cooking.

2. Fold a clean tea towel in half twice lengthways. Place the oyster in the centre of the folded towel cup side down with the hinge of the oyster facing in the direction of your more dominant hand.

3. Place the tip of the oyster knife at the hinge of the shell applying pressure. Twist and wiggle the knife to pop the hinge. The hinge is at the pointed end of the oyster. Angle the knife towards the cup side of the shell and run your knife towards the top side of the shell.

4. Turn the knife at a 90-degree angle to separate the flat side of the shell from the cup. Run the knife under the muscle adductor of the oyster to detach the oyster from the shell. Remove any shell fragments that might be present.

5. To make the herb butter add the chopped chervil, minced garlic, lemon zest and sea salt to a bowl with the unsalted butter and mix well. Add one tablespoon of this mix to each oyster, placing it in on the centre of each oyster. Add the rapeseed oil to a frying pan on medium low heat. Then add the panko breadcrumbs and toast until golden brown, stirring all the time to ensure even caramelisation. Once golden-brown set aside.

6. Preheat the oven to 220°C.

7. Place the herb buttered oysters in the oven and bake for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and add a heaped tsp of the toasted panko breadcrumbs. Return to the oven for a further 2 minutes.

8. Serve with wedges of lemon.

Pearls of wisdom

Make sure you are shucking oysters on a flat surface.

The tea towel will help protect your less dominant hand as well as keeping the oyster in a stable position when the oyster is opened.

Avoid excess force, this will shatter and chip the outside of the shell as well as potentially damage the meat inside and yourself!

Discard any oysters that are open or have cracked compromised shells. They should smell fresh and of the seaside.

The oyster shells will be very hot when removed from the oven so allow the oysters to sit for a couple of minutes before serving.