Baked Oysters With Spinach Fennel Purée And Crisp Fried Shallots Recipes

BAKED SPINACH BUTTER OYSTERS

Steps:

• Shuck oysters. Top each oyster with 1 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with spinach, garlic, and pinch of Spice Mix. Grill over high heat until oysters curl.
• Combine ingredients.

CRISPY OVEN-FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper.
• In another shallow bowl, whisk eggs.
• In a third bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Romano cheese, parsley and garlic salt.
• Coat oysters with flour mixture, then dip in eggs, and coat with crumb mixture.
• Place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan; drizzle with oil.
• Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the jalapeno mayonnaise ingredients.
• Serve with oysters.
• Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen (about 2/3 cup jalapeno mayonnaise).

BAKED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread salt in a shallow baking dish. Nestle oysters in their bottom shells in the salt.
• In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, mustard, parsley, and butter; season with pepper. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon mixture on each oyster; top with bacon pieces.
• Bake until oysters curl and topping browns, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

CRISPY FRIED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Thinly slice shallots crosswise into rings on a mandoline (they should be about the thickness of a dime).
• Place shallots in a medium saucepan and pour in oil to submerge. Set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often with a fork to encourage rings to separate, until shallots are golden brown, 20-25 minutes. (Keep an eye on them; once they start to brown they'll darken fast).
• Pour shallots into strainer to drain, then transfer to paper towels. Season with salt and let cool. Reserve shallot oil for another use.
• Do Ahead: Shallots can be fried 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

CRISPY OVEN-FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, whisk eggs. In a third bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, parsley and garlic salt. , Coat oysters with flour mixture, then dip in eggs, and coat with crumb mixture. Place in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; drizzle with oil., Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk mayonnaise ingredients. Serve with oysters.

FENNEL SPINACH SAUTE

Steps:

• In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add fennel and onion; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add remaining ingredients; cook and stir just until spinach is wilted, 4-5 minutes.

GRILLED OYSTERS WITH FENNEL BUTTER

Steps:

• Prepare and light a grill or preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• In a small bowl, blend together the butter, ground fennel seeds, shallots, fennel bulb, fennel greens, pepper and salt.
• Arrange the oysters on the grill or oven rack, cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until they start hissing and begin to open.
• Using an oyster knife, pry each oyster open at the hinge, loosen the oyster and discard the flat shell. Top each oyster with 1/2 teaspoon of the fennel butter. Return to grill and cook until butter is melted and hot.

BAKED OYSTERS WITH SPINACH FENNEL PURéE AND CRISP-FRIED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• In a small skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it fry the shallots, stirring, until they are browned and crisp. Transfer the shallots with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, discarding the oil from the skillet, and sprinkle them with salt to taste. The fried shallots may be made 2 days in advance and kept wrapped in the paper towels at room temperature.
• In a kettle cook the spinach in the water clinging to the leaves with the fennel seeds, covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, or until it is wilted. In a colander drain the spinach mixture and press out the excess liquid. In a food processor purée the spinach mixture with 2 tablespoons of the butter and salt and pepper to taste and transfer the purée to a small bowl. In the small skillet cook the fennel bulb in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is just tender and stir it into the spinach purée. The spinach fennel purée may be made 1 day in advance and kept, its surface covered with plastic wrap, chilled.
• Arrange the oysters in the reserved shells in a jelly-roll pan filled with some of the coarse salt (to balance the shells), divide the spinach fennel purée among them, and bake the oysters in a preheated 400°F. oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are just cooked through. Top the oysters with the fried shallots, garnish them with the fennel sprigs, and arrange them on a platter filled with more of the coarse salt.
• To shuck oysters:
• Scrub the oysters thoroughly with a stiff brush under running cold water. Hold each oyster flat side up on a work surface with the hinged end away from you, insert an oyster knife between the shells at the hinged end, twisting the knife to pop open the shell, and slide the blade against the flat upper shell to cut the large muscle and free upper shell. If the shell crumbles and cannot be opened at the hinge, insert the knife between the shells at the curved end of the oyster, pry the shells open, and sever the large muscle. Break off and discard the upper shell and slide the knife under the oyster to release it from the bottom shell.

BAKED OYSTERS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Place the spinach in a large saucepan, cover, and steam over moderate heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.
• Drain the spinach, refresh under cold water, squeeze dry, and chop finely.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large skillet, heat half the butter, add the onion, and sauté over moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Add the spinach, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cream.
• Stir well and cook over moderate heat for about 2 minutes, stirring in a few bread crumbs if necessary to thicken the mixture.
• Add the oysters and dill and stir well.
• Spoon the mixture into a well-buttered baking dish, sprinkle the top with bread crumbs, dot with the remaining butter, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

BREADED OYSTERS WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Cover the palm of your hand with a folded kitchen towel, and place an oyster in the center. With an oyster knife, scrape away any barnacles. Wipe the knife and thrust it into the hinge of the shell. Run the knife around the oyster and flip it open. Discard the top shell. Cut the muscle that holds the meat to the shell and transfer the meat and oyster brine to a saucepan. Repeat with remaining oysters.
• Place the saucepan over medium heat, bring the juices to a simmer and poach the oysters 1 minute, flipping them once while cooking. Transfer the oysters to a plate, and reserve the juices.
• In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg.
• Dip the oysters in the egg. Then, dredge them in the bread crumbs, tapping to remove excess. Set aside.
• Strain the reserved cooking juices through a fine sieve into a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Using a wire whisk, beat in the lemon juice and 6 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Set aside.
• In a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and add the spinach. Cook, stirring, until just wilted and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove and keep warm.
• In another nonstick pan large enough to hold the oysters in a single layer, melt the 4 remaining tablespoons butter over high heat. When the butter begins to bubble, add the oysters and cook on one side until slightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip the oysters gently, and cook a minute or so, just until golden brown.
• Divide the spinach over 4 warmed serving plates. Spoon the sauce around the spinach. Arrange 6 oysters on each plate over the sauce. Sprinkle the border of the plate with paprika for color.