Umekes Luau Oysters Recipes

GRILLED STUFFED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill for high heat.
• Mix the ancho and guajillo chiles, garlic powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Combine the cheese, onion, crab, octopus, shrimp, cilantro and jalapeno in a bowl, then add the seasoning mix. Top the oysters with the stuffing. Put the oysters on the grill and cook, covered, until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.

FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the buttermilk with 1 tablespoon of the Essence. Add the oysters and marinate for 20 minutes.
• Combine the masa harina and flour with the remaining Essence in a shallow dish.
• In a deep-fryer or a medium, heavy pot with high sides, heat the oil to 360 degrees F.
• Dredge the oysters in the flour mixture and shake the pieces in a strainer to remove any excess. Carefully add to the hot oil in batches, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the oysters with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and serve immediately.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch
• Published by William Morrow, 1993.

ROASTED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they are translucent and beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the chardonnay, bring to a lively simmer, and reduce until only about 2 tablespoons of liquid remains. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and reduce to 2/3 cup. Remove from the heat, stir in the white pepper, and set aside.
• Preheat the oven broiler to 500 degrees F. Arrange the top oven rack so a roasting pan will fit below the heating element. Prepare appetizer plates by placing a bed of rock salt on each, to hold the oysters. Distribute the rock salt evenly between to roasting pans large enough to hold the oysters.
• If the fishmonger shucked your oysters, return the oysters to their cleaned shells one by one, and add about 1/2 teaspoon of the oyster liquid to each, nesting the shells carefully in the rock salt so the contents don't spill. Otherwise, arrange freshly shucked oysters in the rock salt-filled roasting pans, ensuring that their liquid doesn't spill.
• Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the shallot-cream mixture on top of each oyster. Coat each oyster well, without having the shell overflow with liquid. Put one roasting pan in the oven and broil just until the liquid bubbles and the oysters' edges begin to curl, about 3 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning. Repeat with the other roasting pan. Carefully lift 4 oysters in their shells onto each appetizer plate. Serve immediately.

A LUAU

Steps:

• The idea of building a pit to cook is as old as time. What you cook can be as complicated or as easy as you want, and its size can be whatever the labor force allows--a much better usage for bob a job week than ruining the paintwork on your car. Suggestions for food to cook are ears of corn, potatoes, fish fillets wrapped in foil with butter and seasoning, chops or sausages wrapped in foil, clams, mussels, or lobsters. Use your imagination and experiment.
• 1. Drive 4 posts into the ground to delineate a rectangular area about 5 by 8 feet. Dig out to a depth of 18 inches, banking the sand around the edges.
• 2. Line the pit with smooth, dry pebbles or bricks.
• 3. Start a small fire on top of the stones in the middle and gradually add logs until you fill the whole pit.
• 4. Keep the fire stoked for at least an hour, then allow to burn down for another hour to ensure the stones are properly heated.
• 5. Carefully rake the embers from the pit without disturbing the stones.
• 6. As quickly as possible, spread well-rinsed seaweed or non-poisonous green leaves over the stones in a layer about 6 inches deep.
• 7. Lay the prepared food in a single layer on top of the seaweed.
• 8. Spread a 6 inch layer of seaweed over the food. Make sure the food is completely covered.
• 9. Cover with a tarp that extends at least 12 inches beyond the sides of the pit. Weigh down the edges with stones. Let the food cook for at least 3 hours.

BUFFALO OYSTERS

Steps:

• Turn pepperoni into chips by either deep-frying or folding in a paper towel and microwaving 10 seconds at a time until crispy. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake blue cheese in a baking dish to lightly melt, 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the oven to broil.
• Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Combine flour and blackening seasoning in a bowl. Shuck oysters and place oyster meat in a bowl; save half of the shells for plating. Dredge oysters in seasoned flour and deep-fry until crispy.
• Wash oyster shells with soap and water and dry well. Place arugula on each shell, then add one oyster to each. Spoon the melted blue cheese on top of the oysters. Place oysters in the broiler to brown blue cheese, 30 to 40 seconds. Place oysters on a serving plate, then crumble the pepperoni chips on top and add a drizzle of buffalo wing sauce.