Oysters tasting so rich, like the Rockefellers

“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.” — Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

Oysters Rockefeller is an easy appetizer that can be done at home. Available throughout the year, the best catch is from September to April. The recipe was invented in 1899 in New Orleans by Chef Jules Alciatore, of the famed restaurant Chez Antoine. Popular among the locals and tourists, one customer commented that after eating, the taste was so rich it compared to the personal wealth of the Rockefellers, who at that time were the richest family in the United States. The adaptation of the name became an instant hit, with every social gathering serving this famous dish and drastically increasing the oyster industry in the country.

There are many varieties of oysters which include the tiny, thumbnail-sized Olympia oysters found in the Pacific Ocean, the large Japanese oysters, and the Eastern oysters found in the Atlantic Ocean. The best oysters in the Philippines are in Roxas City, Visayas and Dagupan in Northern Luzon. With our vast coastline, our country is blessed with some of the juiciest in the world, to be found in great abundance. On the East Coast of the United States, the Blue Points of Long Island and Chincoteague of Chesapeake Bay are known as the crassotrea virginica species. They are caught by boat with the use of rakes and differ in size, flavor, texture, degree of saltiness, distinguished by where they live. The Blue Point is the favorite among chefs because of its large size, which is generously stuffed with filling.

Oysters should be chosen by their shininess, plumpness and sweet smell. If you plan to buy fresh, the oysters should be alive and the shells closed tightly. If the shell has a gap and does not close quickly or is broken, discard it. It can be kept in the freezer up to three days, though fresh catch is always best. Oysters and clams can be eaten raw, right out of the shell, while mussels require a little cooking until the shells open. When preparing Oysters Rockefeller ensure that it is thoroughly scrubbed, pat-dried with paper napkin and not overbaked. Overcooking will make it hard, chewy in texture, irregular in shape and will diminish the natural flavor. The filling can be used for other shellfish like clams, mussels, scallops and even snails, which the French love to serve in the famous escargot style.

Oysters Rockefeller

1. 24 large oysters; wash, scrub, remove upper shells.

2. One oven-proof serving tray; sprinkle 2 cups rock salt on a tray. Put oysters on top (the rock salt will keep the oysters in place).

3. For the topping: 1/2 cup finely chopped bacon

4. Sauce: 1/2 cup Magnolia Gold butter, 2 tbsps. each of finely chopped white onion and chopped parsley, 1 cup blanched and drained spinach or kangkong leaves, 1/2 tsp. each of rock salt and pepper, 1/2 cup fresh milk and 1/2 cup grated Quickmelt Cheese.

5. Procedure: Put butter, onions, parsley in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for two minutes. Turn off fire and mix in spinach/kangkong, salt, pepper, milk, cheese.

6. Spoon spinach mixture on oysters. Top each with a teaspoon of bacon. Bake at 400°F or 200°C for 12 minutes. Serve one with cocktail forks. Serve 6 to 8.

7. Note: To blanch spinach or kangkong leaves, boil one cup water in a pan. Add two cups spinach leaves. Cook for two minutes until wilted. Drain.

Ern’s Top 5 Oysters

1) Via Mare Oyster Bar, Rockwell: Top-quality oysters, some of the best in the country!

2) Heat, Edsa Shagri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong: I always line up at the buffet line to taste some of the sweetest, mouthwatering, fresh oysters you can find.

3) Mr. Rockefeller, 2nd level, Greenbelt 3, Makati City: The cheese oozes and definite value for money!

4) Restaurant Red, Makati, Shangri-La: The lemongrass-steamed New Zealand oysters with cauliflower, panna cotta, and Osetra caviar are a masterpiece!

5) Harbor View Restaurant: Oysters are topnotch and great quality. Great View of Manila Bay! Located at South Gate A, Rizal Park (between Manila Hotel and the US Embassy).

Discovery of the Week

Go and try Ricco Renzo Cafe. The slow-cooked, tomato-based Osso Buco (Italian beef shanks stew) is fork-tender and melts in the mouth. The pepper  and sesame seed-crusted tuna sashimi is also a crowd favorite, complemented well by a homemade wasabi sauce. The highly recommended Moroccan shrimp pasta is a light butter and parmesan cheese sauce with fettuccini topped with whole shrimps, while their thin-crusted pizzas are a definite must-try! Open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Ricco Renzo is located at the LRI Business Plaza, N. Garcia street, Bel-Air 2, Makati. 

Visit www.sylviareynosogala.com for schedule of classes.