Raw Oysters with Mignonette Sauce
These raw oysters with champagne vinegar mignonette are the perfect party food for any gathering. Mignotte, a mixture of vinegar and shallots, is the best, most sharply acidic friend freshly shucked oysters ever had.
Equipment
- Towel; heavy-duty glove; oyster knife
Ingredients
For the mignonette
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 cup Champagne vinegar
- Freshly ground black or pink pepper, (optional)
For the oysters
- 2 dozen fresh local oysters, chilled and well rinsed (stored in the refrigerator, cupped side down, on a plate covered with a damp towel)
- 1 medium lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
Make the mignonette
- In a shallow serving bowl, stir together the shallots and vinegar. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve or up to 2 days.
Shuck the oysters
- Just before serving, shuck the oysters by opening them, one at a time, using the typical American technique, the hinge method:Start with a soft, clean towel in your left hand. Hold the cupped part of the oyster in the palm of your hand on top of the towel, with the hinge (pointed) end toward your wrist. (You can put a heavy-duty glove on the hand holding the oyster if you're shucking a lot of oysters or feel accident-prone.)
- Using your right hand, insert the point of the knife into the hinge of the oyster, pressing gently on the hinge until you feel it pop open. (Some people say you press the oyster onto the knife instead of the knife into the oyster; in either case, placement is more important than pressure. This process should not cause you to break a sweat.)
- Wipe the knife clean on the towel. With the oyster just partway open, slip the knife’s blade into the shell. Carefully follow the right side of the top shell with the knife to cut the oyster muscle free, then remove the top shell.
- Wipe the knife again, then carefully cut the muscle off the bottom shell, taking care to reserve as much of the oyster’s natural liquor as possible. (If you prefer, use the knife to turn the oyster over in the bottom shell.) Remove any sneaky shell pieces that may be wandering around in the liquor. Repeat with the remaining oysters. Arrange the oysters on a platter.
Serve and slurp
- Serve the raw oysters immediately alongside the mignonette, which you may want to sprinkle with pepper to taste. Set out a bowl of lemon wedges and napkins and set a spoon alongside the mignonette so guests can add as much as they’d like to each oyster. Slurp to your heart's content.
Notes
- Serving--Raw oysters should be consumed within 2 hours of serving.
- Using the right tool--Use an oyster knife for shucking the oysters.
- Dietary--This recipe is suitable for gluten-free and dairy-free diets.
Nutrition
Serving: 3oysters | Calories: 13kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 5mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 1g