Ingredients
¼ cup (60 mL) 35% whipping cream
¼ cup (60 mL) spinach chiffon, cut
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
1 tsp (5 mL) garlic
1 tsp (5 mL) shallot
3 slices of bacon, chopped thinly
1 oz (30 mL) Pernod
12 oysters
1 cup (250 mL) panko
½ cup (125 mL) Grana Padano cheese
Rock salt or kosher salt
Equipment
1 oyster-shucking knife
1 small baking sheet
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425F/218C. Line a baking sheet with rock salt or kosher salt. Mince garlic and shallots.
Melt butter in a saucepan, and add bacon. Cook for 2-3 minutes until rendered. Add garlic and shallot, and saute for 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook for 30 seconds. Add Pernod, and be careful of flames. Add cream and reduce until thickened (about 3 minutes.) Set sauce aside.
Once the oven is heated, take the baking sheet out and start shucking the oysters. Flip your oyster so the bowl faces down. There’s usually a nice little notch near the tip of the oyster that you can force your oyster knife into. Once you’re in, twist the blade, and the shell should pop open. Run the knife along the inside of the top shell to sever the abductor mussel and remove the shell. Transfer the shucked oyster to the salt bed and repeat with the remaining oysters.
Spoon a little green mixture into each oyster and sprinkle with the panko/cheese mixture. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook for 6-8 minutes, until golden brown and starting to bubble up the sides of the oysters. Serve immediately.
Note: You can use Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, or Gruyère in place of the Grana Padano. The salt will help keep the oysters upright so they don’t lose their juices.