Pesto and Chilli Oysters ~ Oysters with Vodka Salsa

On a whim I purchased some oysters Saturday afternoon as a treat for Noel, who loves them, as he was working all day on Saturday. He had requested steak for dinner but for a starter I thought these would be a nice surprise for him.

He loves eating Oysters with Vietnamese Dressing and would have that every single time - I however like to try different styles of dressings/toppings as I am not such a huge fan and only tend to eat a few anyways.

With a mission to find some different dressings and reading through lots of recipes I ended up just making these two toppings up and to my surprise they were quite nice and enjoyed by us both.

The chilli oil I used is homemade (I will have to blog as I am about to make some new batches) but you can purchased chilli infused oil at some supermarkets and deli's.

Left: Pesto and Chilli Oysters ~ Right: Oysters with Vodka Salsa

Pesto and Chilli Oysters

Serves: 2
Points per serve: 3

6 natural oysters in shells
3 teaspoons basil pesto (premade)
3 teaspoons chilli oil
dried chilli flakes (if desired)

Remove oysters from shells, rinse and drain. Return to shells and place shells onto a patty pan tray.

Preheat grill to high.

Place 1/2 teapsoon of pesto on to each oyster. Drizzle with 1/2 teapsoon chilli oil and sprinkle with chilli flakes.

Place under grill and cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until oil is sizzling.

Remove from grill, allow to cool slightly and serve.

Oysters with Vodka Salsa

Serves: 2
Points per serve: 1.5

6 natural oysters in shells
1/2 tomato, finely diced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoons vodka
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Remove oysters from shells, rinse and drain. Return to shells.

In a bowl combine tomato, spring onion, coriander, lime juice and vodka. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow to stand for 1 hour for flavours to fuse.

Top each oyster with salsa mixture and serve.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Oysters with Champagne and Wasabi

As our oyster festival continued in our house tonight I decided that one at least had to have champagne as an ingredient purely because they say that foods such as oysters are the food of lovers. And in my opinion lovers like champagne too...

Go easy on the wasabi unless you and your partner really like it.. a dot is definitely enough.

Oysters with Champagne and Wasabi

Serves: 4
Points per serve: 2.5
250 ml champagne or sparkling white wine
12 natural oysters, in the half shell
1/4 red capsicum, very thinly sliced and halved

wasabi to taste

Clean and rinse oysters and shells. Place oysters back into shells. Fill shells with champagne. Top with a few capsicum slices and a dot of wasabi paste.

Chill until serving.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Oysters with Ginger, Garlic and Chilli

These oysters are one of Noel's flavour bursts and they surely packed a kick! Fresh ginger and garlic are always quite strong which was the intensity that Noel was after coupled with a hint of Kaffir Lime was very unique but it was the after taste of the chilli was the hidden surprise.

Oysters with Ginger, Garlic and Chilli

Serves: 4

Points per serve: 1.5

12 natural oysters, in the half shell

2" piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

4 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chilli oil

Preheat grill.

Place oysters on an oven proof plate or a patty tin.

Top each oyster with ginger, garlic and lime leaves. Place approx 1/3 teaspoon of chilli oil on each oyster.

Place under the grill and cook for 3 - 5 minutes or until topping is starting to brown.

Serve immediately.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

The Oyster Festival...

No don't get excited there wasn't actually an Oyster Festival in our area as such. Noel came home with 2 dozen oysters. Yep 2 dozen. We haven't had oysters for awhile so it was a nice surprise!! And worthy of being the entree to a feast!!

Oysters are not the most attractive creatures that man chooses to eat so besides serving them ala natural they always bring the creative side of us out and these were our "Oyster Festival" dishes.....

(starting from top, clockwise ~ Oysters with Vietnamese Dressing, Oysters with Champagne and Wasabi, Mediterranean Oysters, Oysters with Ginger, Garlic and Chilli)

Oysters with Champagne and Wasabi

Mediterranean Oysters

Oysters with Ginger, Garlic and Chilli

Oysters with Vietnamese Dressing

Although oysters are an easy entree to serve either hot or cold they are somewhat an acquired taste. To be totally honest, I used to turn my nose up at them. Especially served cold I could bare the thought of putting one in my mouth but as time and taste has taken it's toll on me, thankfully I really enjoy them now and cannot imagine not wanting to eat one......

Oysters Kilpatrick

At the moment we are getting some nice oysters here in Melbourne from across the Tasman and they are also at a good price. Needless to say with them being on an "extra" special the other day and Noel's birthday, we purchase not just one dozen but two!!


Personally I prefer to eat them cold, especially Oysters with Vietnamese Dressing, but my mam likes them cooked. So deciding to do one dozen the way I like them and for the first time I made Oysters Kilpatrick with the other dozen. I must say very very easy to put to together and cook.


I actually have to say that the easiest way I have found to cook or even prepare oysters for topping them is to use a pattycake tin - this allows me to individually stand the oysters the best I can considering the shells are all shapes and sizes. It's not the prettiest way to serve them mind you but it gets the job done!!

Oysters Kilpatrick

Makes 12

Points per serve: 0.5

1 dozen oysters

1 rasher of bacon, fat trimmed

1 tablespoon Worchestershire Sauce

Clean and rinse oysters. (I find it easier to remove them completely from the shells, rinse and drain in a sieve and then return them to their shells.)


Finely dice bacon rasher and sprinkle evenly over the oysters. Top with the Worchestershire sauce again dividing evenly amongst the oysters.


Place under a hot grill for approximately 5 minutes.


Serve immediately.

Here is my mam enjoy the oyster feast along with a glass of wine!!

Oysters with Vietnamese Dressing

I have only started eating oysters in the last couple of years. Prior to that I couldn't even stomach the thought due to their looks and texture - let's face it they are not the prettiest thing in the food chain!!
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Having only tried eating oysters a few of the traditional ways, such as Kilpatrick, Mornay or Oysters Natural and being somewhat satisfied with them of course we naturally had to start experimenting with flavours. Some recipes came from cookbooks, some googled and some just made up, like this one.
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A very Asian influence but such a nice burst of flavour, this recipe is very simple especially since the oysters are not cooked and served chilled.
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Oysters with Vietnamese Dressing

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Serves: 12

Points per serve: 0.5pts

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1 dozen oysters

2 tablespoons Kecap Manis (Indonesian Soy Sauce)

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 teaspoon crushed ginger

1 teaspoon crushed chilli

juice of 1/2 large lime (approx 1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander

1 spring onion finely sliced

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Clean and rinse oysters, refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Mix all ingredients except for the oysters in a small bowl or jug and refrigerate until ready to serve oysters.
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Before serving, divide dressing evening between oysters in their shells. Serve immediatey.

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