Recipes

Oysters Rockefeller is a dish served in restaurants across the width and breadth of the United States. The dish originated from a very famous restaurant in New Orleans called Antoine's, founded in 1840.

The ingredients of the recipe have always been shrouded in mystery since it was first served in 1899. I was lucky enough to eat Oysters Rockefeller at Antoine's in the early nineties when I was working in the city. They were sensational and lived up to their billing as the restaurant's signature dish.

Rockefeller himself was the wealthiest man in the US at that time, which makes perfect sense as when you eat this dish it is extremely rich! Anyway here's my version.

Good quality Pacific oysters lend themselves beautifully to this recipe, and you could actually use this topping on most shellfish to great effect.

Step 1

Rockefeller Topping

On a chopping board using your sharpest knife, chop the fresh herbs and celery leaves individually as fine as you possibly can. Place in a bowl. Now add the softened butter, grated parmesan, breadcrumbs, Pernod and Tabasco. With your clean hands work all the ingredients together until all incorporated.

Step 2

Oysters Rockefeller, Setup, Cooking and Serving

Pour half the rock salt out onto a shallow sided baking dish. Take your oysters in the half shell and gently move the shell into the salt so they stand up by themselves. If the are oysters out of the shell my suggestion would be purchase some Asian soup spoons and use those as an alternative to the shell- no salt needed as the are freestanding.

Give each oyster a generous portion of the topping. Once completed, place under the grill and cook for a minute or two until the topping begins to golden and the sides of the oyster begin to slightly curl. Remove and let cool slightly before serving to prevent burnt lips. Serve on the other half of the rock salt that hasn't seen any oven time. Remember you can use the rock salt over and over again. This is a seriously good way to eat cooked oysters!!