Spice up your Oyster

Undoubtedly, for me, the most exciting day of the whole Festive Season is Christmas Eve. The buzz, the anticipation and hopefully, if everything has gone according plan, the results of much hard labour in the kitchen.

Of course traditions die hard and in our house the recognised fare for that evening always involves a smoked gammon on the bone, slow cooked through and then glazed and roasted, carved at the table and served with egg and chips. However, I do like to ensure the family don’t miss out on their daily dose of seafood and so here are some hearty, bite-sized Yuletide morsels to savour, whilst your up to your eyeballs in stuffing.

Oyster Tempura with a Bloody Mary Mayonnaise

I always keep a generous stock of oysters in the fridge at Christmas, for self-indulgence (obvs) but they also make a suitably tasty and impressive snack or canapé and can be cooked in a variety of ways. To my mind, a light tempura batter coating and flash-fried, means that your oysters remain beautifully crunchy on the outside, but then juicy, succulent and just-warmed through on the inner, so that you still experience that rush of sweet and saline, when it bursts out of the tempura casing.

I also love a Bloody Mary and so thought I’d combine the spice and kick of the tobasco, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt and cayenne with the ozonous tang of the ocean, in what is actually a show stopping combination and an absolute must for those unwary house guests who don’t relish quaffing your oysters raw.

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

One dozen raw Pacific Rock oysters (shucked)

100g self-raising flour

100g cornflour

150 ml sparkling mineral water

Pinch of sea salt

2 free range egg yolks

200ml groundnut or rapeseed oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Dash of vodka

2 tsp tomato puree/passata

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Few drops of tabasco (to taste)

Pinch celery salt

Cayenne for sprinkling.

Sunflower oil for shallow frying

Method

Shuck (open) the oysters and remove the meats and place on kitchen roll. (NB. if you’re unsure about prizing them open with an oyster knife, and risking a trip to casualty on Christmas Eve, then it’s perfectly acceptable to steam them open for this purpose, as you would cook mussels) Lightly dredge the meats in flour.

For the batter, combine the flour and the cornflour and whisk in the sparkling water in suitable a mixing bowl until you have a smooth, light consistency and add the salt. Heat enough of the sunflower oil at 180C, to immerse the oysters in a frying pan or wok and test with a drop of batter. Drop the oysters into the prepared batter mix and liberally coat. Now take each oyster and carefully drop into the hot oil. They should sizzle well, but not spit. Give them about a minute, turning once and until they are a light brown and crispy. Remove from the oil and dry on kitchen roll.

For the mayonnaise, whisk the egg yolks, salt and Dijon mustard together and introduce a steady stream of the oil, whisking continuously. When the mayonnaise starts to thicken and peak, add the vodka, the tomato puree, the Worcestershire sauce, and season to taste with the tabasco and celery salt. Refrigerate.

Serve the oysters whilst warm and crisp with a dollop of the mayo and stand back and await the reactions! You and your guests will not be disappointed……