RECIPES

Mignonette Sauce for Oysters

SERVINGS : 12 servings

Make the mignonette at least 4 hours ahead of time to allow for the flavours to blend, and the shallots to mellow.

Ingredients

1/2 cup minced shallots
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar (if using seasoned rice vinegar, omit the sugar and salt)
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Method

Finely mince the shallots:

Peel and coarsely chop the shallots. Put them into a food processor and pulse a few times, until the shallots are finely minced, but not mush, with pieces no smaller than the tip of a match.

You can also finely mince by hand if you wish. The advantage of using a food processor is that the food processor bowl captures all of the liquid released by the shallots as they are minced, which will enhance the flavour of the mignonette.

Stir in white vinegar, rice vinegar, sugar, salt:

Place the minced shallots and any liquid released from them in a non-reactive bowl. Add the white vinegar, rice vinegar, and sugar and salt. Stir with a fork.

Chill:

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. The mignonette flavour will be better blended the longer it sits.

The mignonette will last up to a month in the refrigerator.

How to Serve the Mignonette:

To serve, shuck the oysters. (How to Shuck an Oyster. link) Make sure that the oyster is loose in the shell before serving.

The mignonette sauce is served in a small bowl with a small spoon, alongside the oysters on a platter. People can scoop a small amount of the mignonette (1/8 of a teaspoon or so) onto their oyster before eating.

PICKLED
OYSTERS

Equipment required

Sterile glass jars or other containers, preferably with airtight lids

Ingredients

Prepare the pickling liquid. Any variety of pickling liquids can be used for cooked Oysters. A base pickling liquid might include:

1/2 cup of vinegar;
1/4 cup of white wine;
Juice of one lemon;
One Tablespoon of sugar or more if you prefer a sweeter pickled oyster, we prefer to use brown sugar;
Herbs, spices or citrus for added flavour.

Method

Cook Oysters - In a large saucepan, boil water and add shelled oysters. Bring to a boil cover and reduce the heat too low. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove oysters straight away and drain. Oysters should be firm and plump.

Chill oysters in fridge until cold.

Place chilled cooked oysters in the jar or container and cover with the pickling liquid. Cover and store in the fridge.

Pickling times

Transfer the mixture to a jar, and pour the remaining vinegar over the top and close the lid. Allow the oysters to pickle for two to three days and then enjoy! The time required will depend on the quantity of oysters you have in the jar, and the intensity of the desired flavour.

Other suggested Ingredients

chilli pepper - thinly sliced, shallots, zest of a lemon, chopped parsley, garlic clove - thinly sliced, whole peppercorns, round thin slices from an orange or a lemon, or even some tabasco sauce for those wanting to add more