Oyster Orgy Salad Food

FRIED OYSTER SALAD WITH PERNOD BUTTERMILK DRESSING

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the egg, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, green onions, 1/4 cup of the cheese, buttermilk, and Pernod. Pulse until smooth. Season the mixture with the Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and mix until the mixture is thick. Reseason if necessary. Refrigerate the dressing until well chilled, about 1 hour.
• Season the oysters with Essence. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and cornmeal together. Season the flour with Essence. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil.
• Dredge the oysters in the seasoned flour, coating each side completely. Shake off the excess flour and carefully lay in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side.
• Remove the oysters from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Season the oysters with Essence. Set aside and keep warm.
• Toss the greens with the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Mound the greens in the center of each plate and arrange the oysters around the greens. Sprinkle the top of each salad with the remaining cheese.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

SPICY FRIED OYSTERS ON JALAPENO CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• To make dressing, combine egg yolks, garlic, shallots, anchovies, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and balsamic vinegar in a blender. Puree until smooth. Slowly add oils until dressing is emulsified and creamy. Add chopped jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste.
• Shuck oysters and reserve juice (or have the fishmonger do this for you).
• In a medium bowl, combine crumbs, serrano chili, garlic, cayenne pepper, and black pepper, mixing well.
• Lift oysters out of juice, 1 at a time, and dredge in crumb mixture to coat heavily. Strain and reserve 1 tablespoon oyster liquor for vinaigrette. Place breaded oysters on waxed paper until ready to fry.
• Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Carefully place oysters in pan, 1 at a time. Brown for 2 minutes, turn, and brown other side for about 2 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove and keep warm.
• Toss romaine with Caesar Dressing. Place on 4 plates and sprinkle cheese and pomegranate seeds on salad. Dust plate with powdered pumpkin seeds. Place 4 fried oysters on each salad. Serve immediately.

SIXTEEN SPICE RUBBED SQUAB SALAD WITH AGED GOAT CHEESE, WHITE CHICORY AND WILD MUSHROOM "VINAIGRETTE"

Steps:

• Season breasts with salt on both sides. Dredge breasts in the rub, skin side down only, tapping off any excess. Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Cook the squab, rub-side down, in the pan until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn over and cook for 2 to 3 minutes for medium doneness. Divide the white chicory among 4 plates. Slice the squab on the bias into 4 slices and arrange on top of the chicory. Sprinkle with the goat cheese. Ladle the Wild Mushroom Vinaigrette lightly over the greens and squab and around the plate. Garnish with chopped chives.
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Will keep stored in an airtight container for 6 months.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown. Whisk together the vinegar, shallot and mustard in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and whisk until emulsified, whisk in the truffle oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Fold in the mushrooms and set aside.

SPINACH AND CRISPY OYSTER SALAD WITH ROSEMARY-DIJON DRESSING

Steps:

• Rinse and drain the oysters, then dry them thoroughly on paper towels. On a plate or pie tin, combine the bread crumbs and herbs. Dip the oysters in frothy egg whites and then in herbed bread crumbs. Press the oysters in the crumbs to ensure an even coating. Lay the oysters on a tray in one layer and set aside or refrigerate (uncovered) until ready to cook. Prepare the spinach and divide among four plates. Arrange mushroom slices around the spinach. Heat 1 inch of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oysters and cook until evenly golden brown, about 4 minutes. Divide oysters evenly among the four plates. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with scallions. Serve immediately.
• Whisk together the shallots, vinegar, mustard, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is creamy and emulsified. Stir in the rosemary and season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more oil if the dressing is too sharp.
• For this dish, I suggest panfrying in olive oil because I love the flavor, but you can use any neutral vegetable oil, such as canola or peanut. Either way, you should use enough oil to completely cover the bottom of the pan, and make sure it gets good and hot (but not smoking). To reduce spattering when frying, see that your oysters are dry before dipping them into the egg white and bread crumbs. You might also invest in a spatter screen, which is inexpensive and works well. If your mushrooms aren't nice enough to use raw, you can sauté them.

FRIED OYSTER SALAD WITH LEMON DRESSING

Steps:

• In a deep skillet, heat 1/4 inch of the vegetable oil until very hot.
• While oil is heating, whisk the egg whites in a pie plate and set aside. In another pie plate, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper.
• When oil is ready, dip each oyster into egg whites, drain and then roll in flour mixture. Be sure all sides of oysters are coated with flour. Shake oysters lightly to remove excess flour and carefully arrange oysters in hot oil.
• When arranging oysters in pan, begin at outer edge and lay oysters in a ring around outside of pan. Place a few oysters in center. Do not crowd pan. When you finish laying out oysters, first ones will be ready to turn. Turn all oysters and cook just until they turn golden-brown, for about 2 minutes total. Remove oysters from oil, drain on paper towels and keep warm. Continue with remaining oysters, if needed; discard any remaining egg whites and flour mixture.
• Divide the arugula among serving plates. Divide fried oysters between portions of arugula, drizzle each plate with some of the Lemon Dressing and serve immediately with a lemon wedge on the side.
• Lemon Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, Meyer lemon juice, grated Parmesan and minced garlic. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. May be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before using.

SMOKED OYSTER CAESAR

Steps:

• In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, or in a blender, pulse the egg yolks, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and Worcestershire until thoroughly combined. With the machine running, add the vegetable oil very slowly to make an emulsified dressing.
• Drain the oysters from their oil, reserving 1 tablespoon of the oil for the croutons. Add the drained oysters to the dressing and pulse until smooth.
• Combine crackers, olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper with the reserved tablespoon of oyster oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, tossing often, until the crackers are toasty. Set aside to cool.
• Put a spoonful of the dressing directly onto each plate. Place a romaine heart half, face up, on the dressing, and drizzle with additional dressing. Top with croutons, cracked black pepper and cheese.
• Do ahead
• Dressing can be made up to 7 days ahead. Pour into a container and keep chilled.