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Happy Valentine’s Day

CaigerandCo • Feb 14, 2016

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!  What have you got planned for today? Whether you’re loved up or loving being single why not spend this Valentine’s Day doing something a little different: making your own oyster sauces!

Whether you love them or hate them we all know that oysters are associated with fancy occasions, wealth and above all champagne.  However they are relatively inexpensive to purchase – if you go to a fishmonger you can even get them to open, clean and prepare your oysters for you so you can spend less time prying them open and more time eating them.

Before we go into the recipes here are a few interesting facts that you may not know about oysters:

  1. Eating oysters has many amazing health benefits – we’ve all heard that oysters are an apparent aphrodisiac but did you know that they contain a massive amount of zinc which is great for energy, boosts your immune system and can help get rid of acne.
  2. Forget champagne – eat your oysters with absinthe! The combination of the salty oyster and the notes of fennel and mint associated with absinthe are a match made in heaven.
  3. Oysters taste better in winter – oysters love colder weather. Oysters spawn in summer when it’s warm making them soft and watery so enjoy them now before spring starts to kick in!

 

Bloody Mary Sauce

I love oysters and I love a Bloody Mary, so for me, this is the perfect combination! It’s a bit different to the usual shallot and red wine vinegar accompaniment, but still gives you that kick.

You will need:

100g cherry tomatoes

1 shallot, finely diced

1 tbsp. tomato puree

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tbsp. Lee and Perris Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbsp. Tabasco

1 heaped teaspoon of horseradish sauce

25ml Vodka

Method

Pre heat oven to 180oC

Place the tomatoes and shallot in a baking tray. Roast in the pre heated oven for 15 minutes. Puree along with the tomato puree and then strain the sauce through the sieve into a jug.

Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, tabasco and 1 heaped teaspoon of horseradish sauce to the tomato sauce.

Shuck the oysters and lay them up on a tray. Add a drizzle of the Bloody Mary sauce to each oyster. Serve with a shot of vodka and a slice of lemon.

 

Asian Marinade

This is totally different to the way that you’ll usually find oysters served, but I think for that reason, it’s definitely worthy trying. It’s sweet, salty and sour in taste – all of which works really well with the richness of the oyster.

You will need:

3 tbsp. lime juice

1.5 tbsp. fish sauce

1 tbsp. palm sugar

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp mirin

1/2 finely chopped chili

1 tbsp. finely chopped coriander

1 tsp grated ginger

Method

Place of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Drizzle over shucked oysters and serve.

 

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