Some will go big and others might like to have just plenty of little dishes to nibble. Many people have said that tucking into a big hearty meal is not the way to go and I might like to agree. So why not try several small dishes and make time to share the food and company.
Fresh Oysters with relish and scented oil
WHAT YOU NEED
for the oysters and marinade
24 small oyster
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 finely diced shallots
1 finely diced fennel bulb
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
fine sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
for the tomato and cucumber relish
1/2 cucumber, finely, diced, peeled, and, seeded
2 tomatoes, finely, diced, peeled, and, seeded
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp lemon, zest, finely, minced
to serve
coriander, thinly sliced
caviar, (optional)
WHAT TO DO
for the oysters and marinade
Open the oysters in the half-shell. Place the whole oysters in a single layer in a dish, cover and refrigerate until ready to prepare. Discard the top shells and rinse and save the bottoms. Heat 1/3 cup of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and fennel; cook until softened, approximately two minutes. Stir in the remaining oil plus vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and pour over the raw oysters, spreading the shallots and fennel evenly over the top. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate for four hours.
for the tomato and cucumber relish
In a small bowl combine the cucumber, tomato, vinegar, sugar, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to marinate for three hours. Just before serving, remove oysters from the marinade and place each oyster in one of the reserved shells.
to serve
Arrange 4 to 6 oysters on each serving plate. Place a little crushed ice or rock salt underneath to stop the shells from sliding. Spoon a little of each mixture into different oysters to make an assortment on each plate. Garnish with tomato and cucumber relish oysters with coriander leaves and serve with a good quality lemon scented oil and a wedge of fresh lemon.
