These oysters were so good! Every now and then I just can’t resist buying one of those little tubs of sucked oysters that sit in crushed ice in front of many seafood counters. So far, they’ve always been fine for cooking purposes, and, at around $6, a real treat.
I drained these and briefly rinsed them, checking for stray bits of shell. I tossed them in seasoned cornmeal and sautéed them in grapeseed oil and a little ghee (clarified butter, for a higher smoking point). As I enjoyed them, I dunked each one in a little wasabi-horseradish sauce; tartar sauce is good too.
I plated them with some sliced rainbow tomato and a little feta, plus a salad of flat-leaf parsley and shallots, simply dressed with good olive oil and lemon juice.
The parsley idea came from a really good appetizer a friend and I enjoyed at Brothers Moon in Hopewell recently. Soft polenta was mixed with with whole corn kernels and bits of locally foraged chanterelle mushrooms. It was cooled (I assume) and then cut into triangles and grilled or sautéed for a bit of crispness. Heaped next to it was an all-parsley salad with lemon dressing that packed a wallop of high flavor. Fantastic! I am always buying parsley or cilantro and then not using it all before it goes bad, and I don’t know why I don’t think of just making herb salad, as I love it whenever I am served it.
NJ SPICE 