Four Easy Mignonette Sauces To Serve With Oysters

Ingredients

• fresh raw oysters, shucked (see the Instructions and Recipe Tips, below)

Madeira Mignonette sauce

• 1/3 cup dry Madeira wine, preferably Sercial
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
• 1/6 tsp black pepper, ground

Asian Fusion sauce

• 2 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp yuzu-ponzu soy dressing (or mix soy sauce and yuzu juice, ½ tbsp each)
• 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
• ¼ tsp sesame oil

Apple Cider Mignonette sauce

• ¼ cup apple cider
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/6 cup shallots finely chopped
• 1/6 tsp black pepper

Horseradish sauce

• 1/8 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp creamed horseradish
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 tsp Mexican hot sauce, any brand

Instructions

Oysters to use in this recipe

You can use any oyster type with these sauces. Oysters that are smaller in size are usually more flavorful. You can use beach oysters in this recipe. However, they are better suited to baking.

The only requirement is that oysters are alive, fresh & come in tightly closed shells. Avoid oysters with broken or cracked shells.

• A good oyster must smell fresh, like an ocean.
• Discard the ones that have a foul smell.
• Make sure to buy oysters from a reputable fishmonger only.

When you bring oysters home, you can store them either loose or in a mesh bag. Put them in a bowl or any container without a lid. Do not pour any water into the storage container, or your oysters will spoil. Cover with a clean, damp cloth or paper towel. Oysters can be stored this way in a fridge for up to 7 days.

Shucking oysters

This is how we do it:

• Hold the shell cup side down, flat side up, with the hinge toward you.
• Using a side–to–side motion, wiggle your shucking knife into the hinge, just until the point when the knife is wedged enough to gain leverage.
• Twist the knife until the shell pops and slightly opens. At this point, you need to check the knife for any grit and wipe it off.
• Very carefully slide the knife along the underside of the top shell to sever the muscle holding the top shell. Discard the top shell.
• Slide the knife under the oyster meat and sever the muscle that attaches the oyster meat to the lower shell. Be very careful not to spill the oyster juice.
• Check for any shell bits or grits and remove them from the oyster using your shucking knife.
• Serve your oyster on a half-shell, making sure it is properly balanced on the plate. We use an inch deep dish filled with pickling salt when we serve our oysters.

Do not shuck oysters until you are ready to eat them.

Method

Recipe Tips

• Make sure to use an oyster shucking knife to open oysters. Never use a kitchen paring knife or any other kitchen knife.
• You may also want to invest in an oyster shucking glove to hold the oysters as you shuck them. However, we were just as successful with using a small kitchen towel. In our opinion, as soon as the towel is thick enough to protect your hand from oyster barnacles and sharp edges, it does the trick. Make sure to put it in wash immediately afterwards.