Kerry came home the other night to our dinner party of Seafood Paella, lots of wine, cocktails and friends with a huge bag of direct from the ocean oysters. 

Oyster shucking

Kerry teaching Ross how to shuck an oyster

Joined by a few friends, they went to work (learning how to shuck) shucking the oysters and serving them with cocktail sauce and a homemade champagne mignonette. 

download

This is how fresh the oysters were.  There was some little creatures (shrimp and starfish) still living with the oysters.  This makes my skin crawl a little 🙂 

Lots of oysters left over, Kerry decided to make some Oysters Rockefeller for Tuesday’s dinner.  What a treat in addition to leftovers!!

After eating about five of them, I had to force myself to stop given I had watched just how much waist increasing goodness went into making this dish. 

Print Recipe

Oysters Rockefeller

A ridiculously good way to eat oysters!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 1 dozen large oysters with all their liquor and the deeper halves of their shells reserved and scrubbed
  • 2 sticks butter cubed
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup minced onions
  • 1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 pound fresh or frozen spinach washed, patted dry, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 1/2 -1 cup oyster brine
  • 1/4 cup Sambuca
  • Rock salt
  • 1/2 cup or more if desired of grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Drain the oysters and liquid through a fine mesh strainer. You should have 1/2 to 1 cup of oyster liquid. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the oyster liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the Sambuca. Re-season with salt and pepper if needed. Arrange the oyster shells on a tin-foil covered baking sheet.
  • Place the oysters back in their shells. Season the oysters with salt and pepper. Place a heaping spoonful of the filling on top of each oyster. Using the back of the spoon, gingerly pat the filling into the shell. Sprinkle the top of the oyster with the grated cheese.

Notes

Play around a little with this recipe, especially with the liquor. We used Sambuca but many others will do.
Adapted from from Emeril Lagasse on Food Network
Tracey