He gels sea shells
From the gentlest of poaching to the finely flavoured stock, oysters are a dish that’s a joy to prepare and beyond sublime to eat
Simon Hopkinson prepares a sublime feast of oysters in jelly
MARC MENEAU’S restaurant L’espérance, looking up to the hilltop from the village of Vézelay, with its superb 11th-century Romanesque basilica, was once considered to be the finest in all of France. Of course, it warranted three stars in the Michelin Guide, but it wasn’t just that accolade that made Meneau’s unique cooking so memorably ‘worth the journey’.
I had eaten at several similarly rewarded restaurants at about the same time—and from Paris to Provence—but with this man, this magician if you will, it was quelque chose de différent in the most exquisite sense.
Long before anyone had considered that a bowl of shimmering clear vegetal broth bejewelled (for once, this hyperbole is entirely apt) with tiny vegetables and, furthermore, served ice-cold, could be so astonishingly fine. But here it was, in 1985.
Two years later came a molten- within cromesquis of foie gras and truffle that burst in the mouth, once dented by the teeth. A few years after that, he produced a short length of warm and wobbling veal bone marrow, its surface wholly swathed with beluga caviar.
However, ultimately, it was with oysters set in a clear jelly in their shells, accompanied by watercress, that wonder was fully realised (again, this was 1985). What made the moment
particularly memorable was a generosity never encountered before or since anywhere else. After we’d consumed four of the oysters each, the head waiter sidled up to us and posed the question: ‘Now then, would any of you like a few more?’
1kg mussels, cleaned The juices from the poached
oysters (see method) 1 small, cleaned rainbow trout,
roughly hewn into small pieces 3 egg whites 3 leaves gelatine, softened
in cold water Sea salt for serving A few peppercorns
Method
Shuck and carefully remove the oysters from their shells, dropping them into a small pan, along with their juices. Lightly scrub and rinse the shells, then keep them in the fridge.
Now, very lightly poach the oysters, for about a minute, over a low heat until they only just cook, becoming very slightly stiffened and neatly oval in shape. Immediately lift them out with a slotted spoon and transfer them into a small, shallow dish and leave in the fridge to cool.
Set the pan of cooking juices to one side. Mix the soured cream, chives and a little cayenne pepper together in a small bowl. Put this in the fridge.
To begin making the jelly, put the shallots, vermouth, pastis, water, herbs, celery and seasoning in a roomy pan that also has a lid. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Tip in the cleaned mussels, cover once more and allow to steam for 4–5 minutes, or until the mussels have fully opened.
Drain them through a colander suspended over another pan and leave to cool. Shuck the mussel meat into a small bowl and then put it in the fridge to use in another dish.
Once the mussel cooking stock is cold, add to it the saved oyster cooking juices and pour into a liquidiser along with the chopped trout and egg whites. Process this mixture (initially
‘This is an exquisite dish for oyster lovers, but it requires patience’
pulsing it on a low speed to allow the machine to address the lumps of trout) until it resembles an unholy, grey mulch.
Tip this into a pan and, very quietly, allow it to come up to a simmer, while occasionally giving it a tentative stir to lift up the solids from the base of the pan. This is important as, left unattended, they can stick to the base and scorch.
As the solids and liquid start to become separate entities, you will notice a clarity revealing itself in the liquid beneath an incongruous surface scum. Allow this fishy broth to lazily blip and shudder, untouched, uncovered, for about 25 minutes.
Line a small colander with a thin tea towel and suspend it over a deep bowl. Using a ladle,
carefully push aside the now crusty surface scum and decant the clear liquid beneath through the towel, into the bowl. Allow it to drip undisturbed, then discard the exhausted solids.
Stir in the soaked gelatine until fully dissolved, then place the liquid in the fridge. Keep a beady eye on it as it cools and begins to gel—it needs to be at the
stage of ‘pourable’, rather than fully set, to coat the oysters.
To assemble, take an oyster shell, smear the base with a teaspoonful of soured cream and chives, then pop an oyster on top. Sprinkle with some of the reserved chives and arrange a generous blob of ‘caviar’ within the wider lip of the shell. Now, carefully spoon some of the semi-set
jelly over each oyster and caviar, until all is entirely enclosed.
Once this process is complete, arrange the oysters on a large serving dish (dredge it with sea salt to afford stability) and place in the fridge to fully set the jelly. Serve very cold.