Out of your shell...

Oysters. There seems to be no middle ground - people either love them with a passion or absolutely detest them. Me? Well, I adore oysters and I find them very hard to resist at the best of times, but tonight I fell in love at the fish counter with some beautiful Pacific Oysters from Coffin Bay in South Australia. Oysters from this region come from pristine water and you can taste that in the oyster. So fresh and lovely. They looked so gorgeous, I decided on the spot that they would be dinner.

I couldn't decide how I wanted to serve them so I settled on making myself a tasting plate with a variety of flavours and textures. This would work well as cocktail food or as an entree or a tasting plate for a dinner party. I enjoyed them with a nice glass of Oyster Bay Semillion Blanc from New Zealand. A delicious Friday night dinner if I do say so myself....

Oysters Three Ways

Oysters with Proscuitto & Maple/Balsamic Dressing :Whisk together equal amounts of good extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup with 1 clove crushed garlic. Season with pepper. Drizzle over oysters and top with strips of Proscuitto.

Oysters with Chilli Ginger Dressing :Whisk together equal amounts of rice vinegar and fish sauce (Nam Pla), a few teaspoons grated palm sugar, 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger, 1 teaspoon finely chopped red chilli, 1 tablespoon finely sliced spring onion. Spoon dressing over oysters to serve.

Fried Oysters with Chive & Wasabi Cream :Combine good quality, thick Greek style yoghurt with Wasabi (as much or as little as you fancy) and finely chopped chives. Set aside.
Whisk together 1 egg, soda water, a few tablespoons flour, salt and pepper to make a batter that coats the back of the spoon.
Dry the oysters with a paper towel and heat some vegetable oil for frying, Coat the oysters in the batter mixture and fry until golden. This will happen very quickly - be sure not to overcook them! Serve with the Wasabi Cream.

***About Coffin Bay Oysters:
For more info about luscious Coffin Bay Oysters, check out their website:
http://www.coffinbayoysters.com.au/

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