Oyster, 2 ways: oyster salad and baked oysters recipes

This oyster salad is inspired by how raw oysters are served in Thailand; with 10 million sides (k, not that many). Using this concept, I thought it would be interesting to dress the oysters with a bunch of flavourful herbs to balance its taste.

Deliciously fresh and sweet raw oysters in Thailand

Ingredients;

6 oysters (raw or blanched)

50 ml lime juice

2 cloves of chopped garlic

2 chilies, minced

2 tbsp. fish sauce

1/2 shallot, thinly sliced

2 tbsp. chopped dill

2 tbsp. chopped mint leaves

1 tbsp. chopped cilantro

1 tbsp. chopped scallions

1 tbsp. crispy onions

to taste:

Louisiana hot sauce

Preparation:

In a small bowl, combine lime juice, garlic, chili, and fish sauce. In a larger bowl, combine all the vegetables and oysters. Add all of the sauce and gently toss the ingredients. Scoop the mixture into individual serving plate. Sprinkle with fried shallot and a drop of Louisiana hot sauce.

Baked oysters

This recipe is a twist on oyster Motoyaki. It's almost exactly the same except I added breadcrumbs, crispy onion for extra crunch and basil oil for extra aroma. The texture and flavour both turned out quite nicely; crispy on top, and creamy with a hint of aromatic basil.

Ingredients:

6 oysters

1/2 cup Japanese mayonaise
1 egg yolk

a pinch of salt

1 tbsp. finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp. breadcrumbs

a dash of basil oil

2 tsp. crispy onions

Preparation:

Whisk together Japanese mayonaise, egg yolk, and salt. Add chopped red onion to the mixture. Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a baking tray (or oyster shells), line the oysters and pour the mixture evenly on top and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Do not overcook. Drizzle with basil oil and serve with a few wedges of lemon.

What I paired with:

Stag Hollow's 2009 Con-Fusion--a blend of Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris...(*breathe), Viognier, and finally, Muscat. It has the notes of lychee, melons and grapefruit and is best served chilled. This is more of a summer wine, but I enjoyed it in the middle of winter nonetheless.