Hot Oysters With Watercress Food

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Finely chop garlic in processor. Add spinach, watercress and green onions to garlic. Process, using on/off turns, until mixture is finely chopped. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.
• Combine butter, breadcrumbs, Pernod, fennel and hot sauce in processor. Process until well blended. Return spinach mixture to processor. Process, using on/off turns, just until mixtures are blended. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
• Sprinkle rock salt over large baking sheet to depth of 1/2 inch. Arrange oysters in half shells atop rock salt. Top each oyster with 1 tablespoon spinach mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until spinach mixture browns on top, about 8 minutes.

ROASTED OYSTERS WITH WARM BACON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat a wood-fired or regular oven to 400 degrees F. Fill a 14-inch cast-iron pan with the rock salt.
• Shuck the oysters, keeping them in their bottom shells, then lay them on the rock salt, using care to save as much of the oyster liquor as possible. Place the entire pan in the oven and cook until the oysters are just set, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the bacon to a medium cast-iron pan, then set over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until the fat has rendered out and the bacon begins to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the onions to the pan and turn the heat down to medium-low. Sweat the onions until they have begun to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the mustard, then slowly add the vinegar, stirring. (You will want to stir and swirl the pan as you add the liquid, to help emulsify the mustard and vinegar into the bacon fat.) Add the watercress and stir the mixture to combine and wilt the cress.
• Remove the oysters from the oven. Evenly divide and top each oyster with the bacon vinaigrette.

DEEP-FRIED OYSTERS WITH HOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix together the ingredients for sauce.
• Cover closely and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to blend.
• Mix the cornmeal with cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.
• Dredge the oysters in cornmeal.
• Deep fry in batches in oil heated to 375 degrees for about 2 minutes or until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels and serve immediately, with hot sauce.

ROASTED OYSTERS WITH HOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 F.
• Spread salt on a baking sheet.
• Place pan in the oven for 5 minutes to pre-heat.
• Remove pan from the oven and arrange oysters, deep side down, on the salt.
• Roast until the oysters open - about 5 minutes.
• Fully open the oysters with an oyster knife.
• Remove the connective muscle attaching the oyster to the shell.
• Serve the oysters warm, with Hot Sauce.

DEEP-FRIED OYSTERS WITH ROCKET AND TOMATO DRESSING

Steps:

• Open the oysters and clean the shells or ask your fishmonger to do this for you. To make the batter, whisk the flour with the cold water and fold in the stiffly whisked egg white and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. To make the dressing, whiz the tomatoes in a blender with the horseradish, garlic and vinegar. Add the hot pepper sauce and season with salt and pepper. Tweak the amounts of hot pepper sauce and vinegar to tast e¿ you want it to be hot and tangy. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any chunky bits. This will give you a nice smooth dressing. Check the seasoning.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and fry the arugula in small batches for about 25 seconds until nice and crisp. Remove and place on some kitchen paper. Drop each oyster into the batter, then remove with a spoon and fry for around 2 minutes until crisp and golden. Serve each oyster in its shell on a little fried rocket, drizzled with the tangy tomato dressing.
• Try this: Place the shells on some cracked ice or a bed of coarse sea salt.

HOT OYSTERS WITH WATERCRESS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Cut off tops of watercress. Discard stems. There should be about 3 cups of watercress leaves loosely packed. Bring large quantity of water to boil. Add tops of watercress and let cook about one minute. Drain immediately and run under cold running water. Press to extract as much liquid as possible. Place in clean towel and press further. Place watercress on flat surface and chop finely. There should be about one cup loosely packed. Watercress may be used as is or blended finely in food processor. Put watercress in small saucepan and add half of the heavy cream. Heat gently and set aside.
• In saucepan combine 2 tablespoons of butter, shallots and vinegar. Bring to boil and cook down over high heat until almost all liquid evaporates. Do not allow to evaporate totally. Add remaining cream and bring to boil over high heat. Start stirring rapidly with wire whisk.
• Immediately add remaining butter, tablespoon at a time, stirring vigorously with whisk. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat.
• Place oysters on baking dish and place in oven. Bake 5 minutes. This is done to heat them gently and allow them to be opened easily.
• Remove oysters from oven and, using small knife, preferably oyster knife, to help loosen top shells, open shells of each oyster and discard top shells. It will facilitate things if oysters are opened by 2 people. Reserve bottom shells with oysters.
• Cut away and reserve each oyster. Spoon an equal amount of the watercress mixture over each of reserved shells. Top each serving of watercress with one oyster. Arrange 3 sprigs of watercress on each of 4 dishes. Arrange 4 oysters on the half shell on each bed of watercress.
• Spoon hot butter sauce over oysters and serve immediately.