Oysters Rockefeller

I’ve always enjoyed fish and seafood. From a young age, my parents frequently prepared different meals using a wide variety of fish and shellfish 🦪 such as molluscs and crustaceans. Later on in life, I started eating echinoderms which include sea urchins and sea cucumbers…
 
To me, seafood is a delicacy. I really love the delicate, sweet taste of them. They’re what I call “heavenly bites!” When it comes to shellfish, my three favorites are lobster 🦞, scallops and oysters! By the way, I’m writing this blog at around 6am in the morning and I’m getting hungry just thinking about it, lol!
 
From all of my seafood recipes, there’s one that stands out and it’s my Oysters Rockefeller! This is the type of appetizer that is served on special occasions or during the Holidays 🎄. It’s a very classy dish that is extremely easy to make with amazing results!
 
Shucking an oyster is not as easy but not that difficult either. After trying a few, you’ll start getting the hang of it… Place the curved shell side down on a dish towel and the flat side up. Using a good quality oyster knife 🔪, find a little gap to insert the tip of the knife. There are two ways of doing it; side entry and hinge entry. David uses the hinge while I use both techniques… well wherever I can find a little gap. Gently move your knife in and move it back and forth until the top shell releases. Slide the knife under the meat to cut the adductor muscle and carefully transfer the oysters with their liquor into a small pot… Voilà! If you’re still not sure how, here’s a tutorial on it… How to Shuck Oysters
 
In my Oysters Rockefeller sauce, I use Brie cheese 🧀. I do remove the rind from it otherwise the sauce would be grainy. Although they’re edible, I don’t eat the rinds from any type of cheese… just a personal preference! I also like to use double cream Brie as the texture is creamier therefore making the sauce even more velvety.
 
These Oysters Rockefeller are perfect for the Holidays! They are very “chic” to serve and for such an elegant appetizer, it doesn’t take that much time ⏳ to make either. Believe me, if you want to impress your dinner guests, this is the recipe to serve!
Happy Holidays and Bon Appétit!🍽
 
P.S. My father 👴 likes to add 1 or 2 drops of Pernod per shell. I don’t like it as it’s too strong for the delicate taste of the shellfish but, hey… give it a try!
 
Check out these other elegant recipes…😀
– Chicken Cordon Bleu
– Crown Roast of Pork
– Blood Orange Miso Scallops
– Veal Piccata
– Fettuccine alle Vongole – Clam Fettuccine
– Cognac Chicken Liver Pâté
– West Coast Smoked Salmon Chowder
– Moules (Mussels) à la Provençale
and for even more tasty appetizer recipes 🍣, click on this link… Recipe Category • Appetizers
 

 
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Oysters Rockefeller

These Oysters Rockefeller are the perfect appetizer to serve during the Holidays. Now with this recipe, you can enjoy this classic at home!

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Servings 12 oysters

Hover to scale

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Passive Time 0 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

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OYSTERS

• 12 large oysters, liquor reserved
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice tips & tricks
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 pinch ground Himalayan pink salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (I always used mixed peppercorns)
• coarse pickling salt, as needed, for baking sheet

SAUCE

• 1 tbsp. salted butter
• 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped tips & tricks
• 1 large clove garlic, pressed
• 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped tips & tricks
• 1/2 package (150 g./5 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
• 3 tbsp. 35% heavy cream
• 125g (4.5 oz) Brie cheese, such as Double Cream or Brise du Matin
• 1 tsp. hot sauce such as Cholula®, or more to taste
• 2 tbsp. Panko® breadcrumbs, divided
• 1/4 cup grated Grana Padano cheese, or as needed

Directions

 

OYSTERS

• Shuck the oysters and, with its liquor, put them in a small pot.
• Rinse the bottom shells under cold water to remove any sand or soil and place them upside down on paper towel to dry; set aside.
• To the pot, add lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper. Stir and set the heat to medium-low. When bubbles appear around the edges, cover and cook for 3 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, drain the oysters in a colander and set aside.
• On a baking sheet, spread coarse pickling salt to cover the surface, about ¼” thick. Place the rinsed bottom shells on the salt and set aside. Place one oyster per shell and set aside while making the sauce.

SAUCE

• Preheat oven to broil.
• In a medium pot over medium-low heat, add butter. When it starts sizzling, add celery, garlic and parsley. Stir well, cover and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add drained spinach and season well with freshly ground black pepper. Increase the heat to medium, stir, cover and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add heavy cream, cheese (Brie), hot sauce and 1 tbsp. breadcrumbs. Mix and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. If more cream is needed, add some.
• Cover the oysters with spinach mixture and sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs and Grana Padano cheese.
• Transfer to the preheated oven and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown.
• Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

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