Chocolate Oysters

As I mentioned in the last post, I have been enjoying oysters in my kitchen for the past weeks as I scheme up Valentine’s Day chocolate aphrodisiacs with my dear friend Vanessa. She is an incredible singer songwriter that as I am discovering has an incredible gift for all the senses.  Could she be a super taster super ear, super olfactory etc… is there something to that – could Bob Marley have been blessed with the same astuteness for taste? I digress.  Being that the oyster is the mighty, famed symbol of aphrodisiacs how could I not tempt fate and conjure up something with chocolate. The nuances of an oyster are multifarious. There are many varieties and they range in complexity and strength from delicate to pungently powerful.  My preferred choice for oysters are the Kumamotos from the bays of Northern California. These oysters are like inhaling the sweet breath of the sea.  They smell of fresh tidal pools trapped between the mossy rocks.  James Beard once said that oysters are  “one of the supreme delights that nature has bestowed on man. … Oysters lead to discussion, to contemplation, and to sensual delight. There is nothing quite like them.”

Much like chocolate, the oyster is a mysterious love that cannot fully be explained. For this recipe, I have chosen to anoint the oysters with chocolate in its nearly basic form, the cocoa nib.  Mixed with some fragrant ginger and tart green apple, you will discover a variety of texture while your nose uncovers layer after layer.

Oysters with Cocoa Nibs, Ginger and Green Apple

Yields approximately 1/8 cup and can be used on 2 dozen oysters.

1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon cocoa nibs
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon tamari
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon granny smith apple brunoise
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Clean and shuck oysters. Find step by step instructions here. (I prefer Kumumoto oysters. You can order them here.) Mix all above ingredients together and let it sit for ten minutes. Spoon onto a perfectly plump and sumptuous oyster, admire her beauty and gently sip the briny, fresh mother of the pearl.

How to Shuck an Oyster

What a lucky few weeks I have had with fresh, fragrant oysters regularly gracing my kitchen.  You see, in between holiday music and evergreen boughs, I have been scheming up Valentine’s Day delicacies.  Since chocolate is the name of my game, I am working on a way to combine the two.  But you’ll have to wait for a month or so to discover the result… I have to keep some secrets close to the vest.

Thanks to my experience at Le Cordon Bleu, I have shucked many an oyster.  A few thousand in and I am still taken by their beauty -  the roughness of the shell juxtaposed to the soft inner folds, the beautiful grays and greens, the subtle alluring aroma of sea. There is truly something magical about them.

My favorite oysters are Kumamoto.  As Hog Island Oyster company describes them, “Originally from the Kumamoto area of Kyushu, Japan, the Kumamoto Oyster takes three years to develop the small, deeply cupped shell that protects its surprisingly plump little morsel. Mildly fruity and sweet with a slightly mineral finish and a rich buttery texture, the Kumamoto is the perfect oyster for beginners.”  Hog Island will ship oysters directly to you but if you happen to be in California along Highway 1, you MUST stop at their picnic area and indulge on the spot.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with oysters at home. In the next week, I will start tempting you with some oyster and chocolate recipe ideas so you may want to practice. You will need a towel and an oyster knife.

1. Check all the oysters and discard any that are not tightly closed.

2. Scrub the oysters with a stiff brush under fresh, running water.

3. Place an oyster in a towel with the more rounded side down and the flat side up.  Hold the oyster as level as you can so that when it opens you don’t lose any of the precious juices.

4. Put your oyster knife into the oyster near the hinge.  You only need to insert about 1/2 inch of the knife.

5. Twist the knife so the muscles of the oyster are severed allowing the top to come off.

6. Carefully remove the top shell.  Scrape any meat attached off the top and into the bottom shell.

7. Slide the oyster knife under the meat to cut the oyster away from the bottom shell while keeping it sitting in the shell.

I like to serve them with the top shell alongside.