There really was only one recipe I could possibly do - one that uses an ingredient synonymous with love and the stirring of those romantic intentions, the Oyster. And there is no more a retro recipe than that 1970's classic Oysters Kilpatrick.
Personally, I would always serve oysters "au naturel" - freshly shucked, sea water still in it's shell. Serving Oysters Kilpatrick wouldn't be met with feelings of love, more like a flood of tears over my act of desecration.
In order to commit this travesty I've selected a recipe that comes from a legend in Australian cooking, Margaret Fulton and her classic 1968 tome The Margaret Fulton Cookbook.
I did make a change to the method - instead of placing raw bacon on the oysters and then grilling them until the bacon cooked, I've sautéed the bacon first until crispy and then only popped them under the grill to just add a little heat to the shell. The recipe I've included below is of the original method.
[For 12 oysters]
12 freshly shucked oysters on the half shell (I've used local oysters from Flinders)
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
15 grams/½ ounce butter
2 bacon rashers, cut into slivers
freshly ground black pepper
rock salt
Place a thick layer of rock salt over the base of a shallow, ovenproof dish - then rest the oysters on this salt bed.
Sprinkle the bacon slivers over the oysters.
In a small pan, heat the Worcestershire sauce and butter until it reaches simmering point and spoon this over each oyster - Grind over each with a little pepper.
Immediately place under a pre-heated grill and cook until the bacon is crisp.
Place the oysters on a serving dish and serve immediately.
I've mounted each oyster on a smooth salt slurry - made by blending rock salt with just enough water to make a paste that will hold together to support the oyster. This avoids having rock salt covering your plate and looks a lot neater.
In regard to taste, I can happily report that they were thoroughly enjoyed - keeping the oysters under the grill for less then a minute meant they didn't go rubbery and in fact the sauce and bacon worked well to heighten the sweetness in the oyster.
GOOD GOD!!!! It's 7:30 in the morning, and I'm craving oysters!!!! Gorgeous!!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeletethese look so good. i love oysters kilpatrick. the warm oyster flesh, tangy worshestershire sauce and the smoky, fattiness of the bacon. divine!
ReplyDeleteThanks TW!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil!
Thanks Anna - not usually a fan of Kilpatrick but these went down very well.
It says a lot about how food has moved on. As with my retro fish pie!
ReplyDeleteIt's just another form of evolution.
ReplyDelete