I don’t consider myself a big fan of winter, but there are somethings about winter I do adore. One of them is oysters. In my modest opinion, the best thing about these mollusks is they bring people together. Because who wants to be flying solo when it’s time to clean, shuck, steam, eat and repeat?
Last weekend, when we had a few more heads at the table, it sparked the idea of an oyster roast. And while I was anticipating my monthy Recipe Redux post, it seemed like a good time to tie-in the Recipe Redux theme, heat things up with smoke and spiciness.
Oysters always need a dipping sauce. I usually like to make a classic horseradish sauce and then to keep things interesting, I like to make a second one that’s unconventional. That’s the one I’m sharing with you! I found this recipe Grilled Oysters with Smoked Paprika-Peach Sauce online. When we (my family) were inexperienced at preparing oysters, we used a grill. But now, we prefer to steam them. In our opinion, it’s much faster. By the way, the nutritional value remains virtually identical. Oysters are a very good source of protein, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, cooper and selenium. Below is our family recipe for steamed oysters and also the redux for the unconventional, smokey peach sauce. Like many recipes, this sauce doesn’t need as much butter as in the original recipe to make it good. Using frozen peaches in lieu of fresh was a no brainer, because who can find a fresh peach this time of year?! But let’s be practical here, as much as I love the idea of farm to table, if it’s not in season, frozen fruits are just as nutritious, and sometimes more. (Frozen fruits and veggies are frozen at the peak of their ripeness, locking in nutrients.) I added the smoked paprika to taste. (You too may want to adjust this to your liking.) Finally I finished the dipping sauce with Italian parsely. This smokey redux was successful as even my pickest eater gave it a thumbs up. Please check out the links at the bottom of this post for more smokin’ hot recipes!
Do you have any recipes you make together as a family?
Steamed Oysters with Smokey Peach Sauce (makes 16 appetizer servings)
adapted from the Washington Post’s Grilled Oysters with Smoked Paprika-Peach Sauce
Steamed Oysters with Smokey Peach Sauce
Steamed oysters served with an unconventional smokey peach sauce.
Ingredients
for the sauce
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups frozen peaches, defrosted
- 2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
- 4 Tablespoons Italian parsely, chopped
for the oysters
- 1/2 bushel fresh oysters
Instructions
for the smokey peach sauce
1. Remove peaches from freezer and thaw. Place thawed peach slices in blender and puree.
2.Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat.
3. Add peach puree and smoked paprika. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Cna be made several hours before serving. Reheat slowly and add fresh chopped parsely just before serving
for the oysters
1.Rinse and scrub oysters.
2. Fill large stock pot with serveral inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add a steamer basket to pot.
3. Fill steamer basket with oysters. Replace lid on pot and cook until shells open slightly.
4. Shuck oysters carefully by removing top shell. Place on platter and serve with sauce.
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