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Leek and Oysters
Recipe by Pete Campbell
Oysters and leek are a match made in heaven, so try this delicious entree which is perfect for your next gathering!
- Steps
- Ingredients
Steps
- Prepare a hibachi grill or a very hot BBQ grill. Preheat oven to 180C.
- For the Roasted Leek Oil, slice the leeks to remove the green top, reserving the white part for the leek sheets. Thoroughly wash the green leek tops to remove any dirt then roughly chop into 1 inch slices.
- Place leek tops on a lined baking tray, drizzle with 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil and season with salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes until soft and slightly browned around the edges.
- Remove from oven and place into the canister of a stick blender. Add the remaining oil and blend until leek is finely chopped.
- Into a bowl set over ice, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with muslin cloth. Set oil aside for assembly.
- For the Braised Leek Sheets, starting 5mm from the root end, slice lengthways along the leek, only deep enough to reach the centre, without cutting all the way through. Keep the root end intact to hold the leek together as it cooks.
- Wash thoroughly to remove any dirt. Set aside.
- Toast the coriander seeds in a large saucepan set over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the butter and kombu and stir as the butter melts.
- Add the vegetable stock and vinegar, stir to combine then add leek. Cover with a lid and braise for about 30 minutes until the leek is very tender with just a little bite.
- Remove the leeks and set aside.
- For the Oyster Emulsion, roughly chop the bacon into small pieces and cook in a frypan over medium high heat until all the fat has been rendered. Drain fat into a bowl to cool and reserve bacon for another use.
- Place the oysters directly onto the coals of a hibachi or onto the grill plate of a very hot BBQ. Allow the oysters to steam until the shells open, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Remove oysters from shells and place into the canister of a stick blender. Add egg, vinegar and mustard to the oysters then blend to combine.
- While blending, slowly add the grapeseed oil in a thin steady stream until the emulsion becomes a thick mayonnaise consistency.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the cooled bacon fat and blend to combine. Taste and another tablespoon of bacon fat if desired but be careful to not overpower the oyster flavour. Add lemon juice and salt to taste.
- To Assemble, spoon oyster emulsion onto the centre of a plate and spread into a circle wide enough to fit 3 fresh oysters on top.
- Shuck the fresh oysters and place 3 on top of the emulsion. Season with 3 sprays of lemon juice, then drizzle with approximately 1 tablespoon of Roasted Leek Oil.
- Chop the leek sheets into the largest possible squares then fold to make triangle shapes. Season each triangle with 2 sprays of lemon juice and arrange 4-5 triangles over the top of the oysters to completely cover them. Finish with a sprinkle of salt.
