Recipe Tip: Baked Oysters with Lemongrass and Watercress

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Blanch the watercress in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 2 minutes so that it is still bright green. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool, then squeeze to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Chop finely.

2. Step 2

   Combine the cream, lemongrass, ginger, hot sauce and fish sauce in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about 25 minutes to reduce the total amount to about 300ml. Strain the sauce through a sieve back into the cleaned pan.

3. Step 3

   Add the blanched watercress, spring onion and coriander. Taste and add salt and/or pepper if needed. Cook for about 2 minutes to warm the sauce, then reduce the heat to low to keep it mixture warm.

4. Step 4

   Prepare a bed of crumpled aluminium foil on a baking tray for the oysters so that they do not topple over during baking.

5. Step 5

   Open the oysters using an oyster knife and place them on their half-shells, side-by-side on the crumpled foil. This can be done up to 1 hour in advance.

6. Step 6

   Preheat the oven to 260°C.

7. Step 7

   Spread a bed of coarse salt about 1cm thick on a large serving platter.

8. Step 8

   Roast the oysters on the baking tray on the lowest shelf of the oven for 7-10 minutes, until their juices are bubbling and their edges begin to curl.

9. Step 9

   Using a towel, transfer the oysters to the serving platter – the coarse salt will fix them in a horizontal position. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the watercress cream sauce onto each oyster and serve.

10. Step 10

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11. Step 11

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12. Step 12

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13. Step 13

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14. Step 14

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