A version that will make even the purists of the "au naturel" shellfish reconsider, enriching it with a variety of fragrances: Alain Ducasse cooks the oysters in the oven to enhance the aromas of the filling, with the ever-present envelope of French butter.
Method and images from Alain Ducasse's book “Nature mers et océans” in collaboration with Christophe Saintagne and Paule Neyrat.
For 4 people
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 24 very fresh oysters
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 small shallot
- A little wine vinegar
- 6 slices of rye bread
- 60 g of good-quality salted French butter
- Pepper mill and fresh peppercorns
Method
For the oysters
Open the 24 oysters and arrange them in a large baking dish.
For the parsley filling
Rinse, drain, and clean the parsley. Coarsely chop the leaves. Peel and chop the garlic and shallots. Cut the butter into small pieces.
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the parsley dressing, plus a dash of vinegar and the chopped butter. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a small salad bowl.
Dice the rye bread slices and add to the other ingredients. Stir well and add the freshly ground pepper.
Using a teaspoon, spoon the mixture over the oysters, filling the shells well without overfilling.
For cooking the oysters
Turn on the oven in grill mode. Place the baking dish and leave it like this until the oysters are nicely browned. This will only take a short time; they should not overcook at all. Serve all the shellfish in a nice appetizer dish or arrange 6 of them on each of your guests' individual plates.
Alain Ducasse's extra tip
Cover the baking dish with a generous layer of coarse salt so that the oysters stick firmly to the rack and do not lose their seasoning.
You can also open them by steaming them in the basket of the cous cous appliance. If you are unfamiliar with doing this manually, this is the way to go!
