Date Added : 11/04/2020
INGREDIENTS
25 very fresh fine de claire oysters
1 quantity Vietnamese dressing
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
a handful small coriander leaves
2 limes, cut into wedges, to garnish
FOR THE CRISP GINGER
5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
vegetable oil, for frying
Maldon sea salt
Ground black pepper
VIETNAMESE DRESSING
½ cup sweet chilli sauce
¼ cup Mizkan Shiragu rice vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
finely grated zest of 1 lime or lemon, no pith
2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
Place all ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine.
PREPARATION:
First, fry the ginger. Stack the ginger slices and slice into matchsticks. Heat 5cm of vegetable oil in a wok or saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the ginger slices until golden brown and crisp. You may need to adjust the heat as the ginger can turn from golden brown to black very quickly. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with several layers of kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Leave to cool. If making in advance, store the cooled ginger in small jars or airtight containers.
Put a layer of crushed ice on a serving platter. Shuck the oysters just before ready to serve. To do this, hold an oyster in a folded tea towel with one hand, with the flat shell upright and level. With the other hand, insert an oyster knife into the hinge of the shell, then wriggle it from side to side to cut through the hinge muscle. Push in the knife and twist it to lift up the top shell, making sure you don’t spill the flavourful oyster juice as you do so. Hold the knife flat and run it along the base of the oyster to release the flesh from the bottom shell. Pick out any bits of broken shell then rest the oyster on the bed of ice. Repeat with the remaining oysters.
Spoon a little Vietnamese dressing over each oyster then top with the chopped chilli, coriander leaves and crisp ginger. Serve immediately, with the lime wedges.