Oysters on the Half Shell

I’ve been thinking for quite some time that I really needed to learn how to shuck oysters. I can sort of do it okay, but mostly I fumble and crumble (the shells) as I attempt to find the magic spot to place the oyster knife so that it slips between the top and bottom shell and allows you to separate the muscle from the top of the shell, remove it, and then loosen the oyster from the bottom of the shell so that you can easily slurp in the briny, metallic nectar and flesh.   

With that in mind I bought a dozen Kumamotos at the U-Dist Farmers’ Market today.  Taylor Shellfish Farms always has a booth at the market and they bring in the freshest, right-from-the-farm selection.  Elliott’s Oyster House has a really great Frozen Champagne Mignonette that I adore!  I’ve been wanting to figure out how to make it.  Last time I was in, I asked if the chef would share the recipe.  They took my Email address and said he’d send it to me, but I’m still waiting…

I decided I could probably come pretty close on my own.  So I took some red wine vinegar, thinly sliced and chopped one very small shallot, added some freshly ground black pepper, a bit of horseradish and a teensy tiny bit of sugar.  I let that sit while I shucked six oysters. (I’m getting better but need more practice – luckily I still have six to go!)  Then, once the oysters were shucked,  I added a dash of champagne (then poured the rest into my glass).  I used the same mini-champagne I’d taken with me to Friday Harbor in July. 

For this half dozen I used the mignonette as is – I wanted to check the flavor – but then I stuck the rest in the freezer.  In a little while I’ll take a fork and "rake" it, so that I get a kind of sno-cone texture to the ice.  The challenge is to make sure you don’t get too high a percentage of champagne, as the mixture will not freeze at all if there is too much alcohol in the mix. If I was making a larger batch I’d use my ice-cream maker to freeze the mixture but for this little tiny batch the fork method will be just fine.

You may notice that the photo above contains empty shells.  Well, yes this is true.  Once I had them shucked and the mignonette complete I was dying to try them out!  I slurped them all down right there at the counter!  :-)  Time to go check the freezer – I’m getting ready for my final six!