Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Oysters, Two Ways


It’s early in the evening and I’m outside reflecting on our day. The hummingbirds are clearly not happy, disapproving of me in their area. They are making their clicking noises and flying close to my head. Last summer we had one little guy fly straight into our big glass window knocking him to the ground. By the time it took us to get out the door to check on him he had got up and flown away. They are fun to watch and they love the nectar from the beautiful pink fuchsias. (see below)


This morning was a busy one. We weeded and cleaned another section of the yard. It’s amazing how tangled the blackberry bushes can get. Such a resilient plant.


Next we headed out to the oyster farm located up the Siletz River on Yaquina Bay Road in Newport, Oregon. We picked up 2 dozen of the “small” oysters and headed home. Deciding which way to prepare them become our big discussion on the way back. After surfing the internet we decided to grill them two different ways. The first a classic; was to shuck them and prepare them Rockefeller style. The other was to grill them until they started to open; remove the top lid and add a slice of fresh ginger, shiitake mushroom, green onion, soy sauce and peanut oil. Both ways were delicious and I would make each recipe again in a heartbeat.

Ingredients:

Rockefeller style:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 shallots, (chopped)
1 small leek (cut into ribbons, both white and green parts)
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1/4 cup white wine
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
1 dozen oysters on the half shell
1 lemon, (cut into wedges)

To prepare:

Rockefeller style:

Shuck the oysters. (my husband did this part as well as the grilling) he began by watching a utube video which I recommend as it is not as easy as it looks.

Next in a heavy skillet melt butter. Place the bread crumbs in a small mixing bowl and add half the butter set aside. To the remaining butter in the skillet, add shallots and leeks and sauté until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Next add in spinach, cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the spinach wilts. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside mixture to cool. Finish off the bread crumbs by mixing in olive oil, Parmesan and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon spinach mixture on each oyster then follow with a spoonful of the bread crumb mixture. Place oysters on grill and cook about 5 to 7 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown. (time will vary depending on the size of the oysters)

This recipe has been adapted from The Foodnetwork website.

Asian style:

Ingredients:

1 dozen oysters
12 pieces thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon peanut oil
2 ounces soy sauce

To prepare:

***have sauce pan heated on grill with the peanut oil, and soy sauce.

Place oysters on grill until the shell starts to open, about 6 minutes for these. Pull off the top shell and place a piece of fresh ginger, shiitake mushroom and green onion on each oyster. Pour heated peanut oil and soy sauce over oysters for a sizzling effect. Move to cooler spot on the grill for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. (time will vary depending on the size of the oysters) Enjoy!






Cheri Savory Spoon
Cheri Savory Spoon

Mysavoryspoon was first started in 2010 as a way to journal recipes that I had collected from cookbooks, magazines, family and friends. Most everything was savory, using legumes and whole grains. Along the way I discovered a love for baking. Now a couple times a month you might see some type of sweet pie or treat.

55 comments:

  1. You surely had a busy and productive day, Cheri. The oysters look very delicious..my mom used to make oyster pancakes for our afternoon snack. Have never seen them over here..well, I guess I need to visit seafood market soon...

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    1. Hi Angie, oyster pancakes sound interesting, I bet they were delicious, I will try and find a recipe for pancakes next time, thanks!

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  2. Podoba mi się... Nie dość, że ładnie, to i smacznie chyba?

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  3. Lucky you, an oyster farm nearby! We love them but they definitely are not available here in the stores very often. I've never had them with mushrooms, it sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

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  4. Oh it's been so long since iv had oysters!! I love the oysters Rockefeller! Kilpatrick is another favourite of mine.

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    1. Hi Julie, never heard of the Kilpatrick before, will check that version out, thanks!

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  5. I am going to try the second way next time we get oysters. Lucky you that you can get these so locally 😀

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  6. Wow Cheri these look amazing. I hadn't heard of grilling oysters before. We don't have any fresh available here but if I ever get the chance I am going to try the this way! Keep enjoying. D

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    1. Thanks Dena, grilling them was new to us too, but well worth it for sure. Take care, xo cheri

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  7. You're so lucky to be able to drive for such fresh oysters. I had a friend shuck and fix Rockefeller style last year. Such a treat!

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    1. Thanks Lea Ann, I do feel very fortunate to be able to pick-up most seafood all summer. Take care!

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  8. Well, I am going to have to wait until the winter for these as no one has any fresh (affordable) oysters in the desert at this time of year! I am fascinated by the Asian version - quick question, though: did you use a thin slice of ginger, or little chunks? Would it be just as good with coarsely grated ginger? Thanks, Cheri! Enjoy your hummers!

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    1. Hi David, i did a very small and thin slice of ginger and I think coarsely grated would be great too, the peanut oil and soysauce sizzle and cook the ginger. Heard you are breaking a few records with the heat. Take care!

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    2. It's a little warm here, but we're staying inside and cool. No hiking for us – that is just plain stupid in this weather. Thanks for the info on the ginger, I can't wait to try this when oysters are available in Arizona.

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    3. Sounds like the monsoons are kicking in, I do miss the storms, take care!

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  9. Your summer days sound so busy and productive! We love oysters, my husband in particular, and it would be amazing to get them so fresh. Looks delicious, Cheri!

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    1. Thanks Monica, I was not the biggest fan of them until a few weeks ago, now I love them.

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  10. Sigh. How nice to have truly fresh oysters. Both ways of preparing them sound wonderful. Thanks!

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    1. We enjoyed these very much, thanks for stopping by John!

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  11. I love Oysters Rockefeller but have never tried making them at home. You must have such wonderful seafood available to you there! If I could get fresh oysters already shucked, I'd love to give the grill method a try. I love watching hummingbirds too. They are a lot more timid here and we can rarely get too close to them. My grandson found a hummingbird nest in our yard last fall :)

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    1. A nest, what a find! We have at least a dozen hummingbirds between the front and back yards and I have never seen one yet.

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  12. Both the recipes sounds so delicious dear!

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  13. Being from Arizona, I am not an oyster person, but I would have loved to come with you to the water to pick them out! :) It looks so pretty there. We have quite a few hummingbirds at our cabin up north and really enjoy watching them. We had the same thing happen one time where it hit the window and was knocked out for a minute. We even picked it up, but it flew away thankfully!

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    1. Hi Shari, those little birds are really something aren't they. I was not an oyster person either, but converted last year.

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  14. Wow, such delicious and yet totally unique sounding recipes!

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  15. What a fun evening of shucking and grilling! We love our hummingbirds even though we only get 2 or 3 each year. We keep feeding them and planting the right flowers but perhaps our B&B is not the best in town - haha - enjoy and keep your head down!

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    1. HI Tricia, I think one of the reasons we have so many hummingbirds is that our place was empty for quite some time before we bought it and we are here only half the year so it is more like their place, haha!

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  16. Wow Cheri! Both looks awesomely unique! But I am going to try the second way for my family next time I buy oysters. Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Thanks Anu, I should of checked your site to see what you do with oysters, I bet you have some delicious recipes, take care!

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  17. Two great recipes, Cheri! Love oysters! And so does my family. What fun you have an oyster farm nearby!

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    1. Thanks Barbara, well the farm is in Newport the next town ands then up the river; a total of 35 miles, but we are getting used to driving for our food.

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  18. I love this post, two great ways to make the most of a great ingredient!

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    1. Thanks caroline, we enjoyed these oysters very much!

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  19. My husband orders oysters a lot when he knows they are nice and fresh. Yours couldn't be any fresher…he would love both preparations.

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    1. Thanks Karen, was not a fan myself until last year. Now I love them.

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  20. How wonderful to be able to go direct to an oyster farm to purchase your oysters. I love the two ways you served them - clearly great discussions in the car on the way home xx

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Charlie, we had a lot of fun preparing these oysters, well worth the shucking time.

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  21. Love hummingbirds! Didn't realize they were quite so bold <3 As for oysters...I didn't realize Oregon was such a big producer of oysters. As for your recipes, you know your Asian style with the soy sauce and ginger has my heart...They are also wonderful - as you probably know - kissed by miso =)

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    1. Hi Kim, I think that the hummingbirds are used to having the yard to themselves and try and chase us away. Don't know that much about the oyster farm except that it has been there for years. Miso would have finished the oysters off perfectly. Take care!

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  22. Wow, I've never thought about grilling oysters! That's the recipe that's calling my name :)

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    1. Hi Liz, grilling them is new to us too, but it's our favorite way now.

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  23. Cheri, what a lucky person you are. Fresh oysters are a faint and distant reality for us around here but I love them and would so like to try out your recipes!

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    1. Thanks Andrea, it is wonderful to be around so much fresh seafood.

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  24. I somehow missed this amazing recipe, Cheri! I'm a big fan of oysters and love this tasty recipe. You've captured them perfectly in your shot!

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  25. I love seeing hummingbirds - we even see them in our city neighbourhood here. And those oysters sound incredible!

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  26. Cheri, we love eating classic oysters on the half shell, and this post has me absolutely craving the Rockefeller style. I've never made it at home and I can't wait to try it, thanks for the recipe!! Your grilled recipe with mushrooms and gingers sounds so good too :)

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    1. Thanks Marcelle, we really enjoyed grilling the oysters they turned out very nicely this way.

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  27. One of my favorite things in the world? Grilled Oysters Rockefeller!! OHHHhhhh, I'm so jealous!! :D You did a beautiful job, too!! :D

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    1. Thanks Kelly, grilling the oyters was a new method for us.

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