“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
A week ago, I was treated to a little oyster gathering at Secret Ingredient under the guise of a photo shoot. We learned to shuck and taste 6 varieties of oysters paired with a crisp white wine (Chenin Blanc, Champagne, and Chablis all make excellent pairings). We slurped them down with a squeeze of lemon or a dash of Hog Wash (a mignonette variation close to my heart as it devised by the folks at Hog Island Oyster in my home-state, California).
Below is my and Secret Ingredient owner, Max's, favourite- the Kumamoto. These small oysters are delicate, creamy and sweet. It took a lot of self-control not to finish all half dozen of them myself.
For more tips on choosing oysters and a brief introduction to the different types, head on over to Secret Ingredients blog here! Below is the recipe to the Hog Wash mignonette I was raving about. A bit of tang, a bit of a kick, a lot of yum.
HOG WASH (for a dozen oysters)
- 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup natural rice vinegar
- 1 large shallot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 large Jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
Here's proof a good afternoon...
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