Oysters Rockefeller - Antoine's

By á-47929

This is reported to be the original recipe as created at Antoine's in New Orleans. Unlike the more common variation, it has no spinach or bacon.

Ingredients

• Rock salt, as needed
• 12 oysters in shells, chilled
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 4 tbsp. flour
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 6 scallions, minced
• 2 ribs celery, minced
• 2 sprigs tarragon, stemmed & minced
• 6 sprigs parsley, stemmed & minced
• Salt & white pepper, to taste
• 3 tbsp. bread crumbs

Preparation

Step 1

1. Fill two oven-proof baking dishes halfway with rock salt.

2. Shuck oysters over a bowl to catch their liquid. Discard flat top shells and loosen oyster from bottom shell with a knife. Put six oysters on rock salt in each baking dish. Chill.

3. Melt butter in a two-quart saucepan. Add flour and cook stirring until smooth, about two minutes. Add liquid from oysters and cook stirring until thickened to a paste, about two minutes. Stir in scallions, celery, tarragon, parsley, cayenne, salt, and white pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until soft, about one hour.

4. Transfer to a food processor, add bread crumbs, and process into a smooth paste, about two minutes.

5. Preheat broiler to high. Put paste into a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch fluted tip. Pipe paste completely over oysters.

6. Broil until paste begins to brown and oysters are just cooked through, about 5 - 7 minutes. Serve immediately.