Ingredients
| 2 tablespoons vegetable oil | |
| 2 spring onions, sliced | |
| 1 clove garlic, grated | |
| 2cm-piece ginger, finely grated | |
| 2 teaspoons gochujang | |
| 1 teaspoon soy sauce | |
| 1 teaspoon sesame oil | |
| juice of ½ lime | |
| 2 dozen oysters |
I have to admit to being more of a fan of raw oysters but a delicately cooked oyster can be a beautiful thing. Years ago I saw chef Lennox Hastie gently poach oysters over a grill and they were revelatory. Plump, gently smoked and so full of flavour, they were barely warm but retained plenty of beautiful juices.
It’s easy to get great oysters delivered to your door these days, although a lot of people are put off by shucking them (there are plenty of brilliant videos online to show you how to open them). But a more manageable way to shuck them quickly is to grill them in a hooded barbecue, cooking gently over indirect heat. The shells won’t pop open like a mussel shell, but the adductor muscle will relax enough to allow an oyster knife to slide in easily.
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Instructions
| 1. | Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the spring onions, garlic and ginger until soft. |
| 2. | Stir through the gochujang and fry for a minute. |
| 3. | Then add the soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice and keep in a warm spot. |
| 4. | Heat a barbecue to a medium heat and place the oysters over indirect heat, flat side facing up with the hinge towards you. Close the barbecue lid. |
| 5. | After 4-5 minutes remove with tongs – the lids probably won’t have opened – and put onto a tray with a scrunched-up clean tea towel to keep the oysters sitting upright (losing oyster juices at this point is a complete tragedy). |
| 6. | Using a folded clean tea towel and an oyster knife, gently prise the top shell from the oyster, cut the adductor muscle and if you wish, flip the oyster over. |
| 7. | Nestle the oysters onto a serving platter filled with coarse sea salt or pebbles, spoon a little of the sauce over and serve immediately. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Fiona Lascelles