Oysters Lafitte
Fresh salty oysters, lightly broiled, are smothered in a creamy crabmeat mixture, then broiled again until browned. The dish is a lovely combination of two of Louisiana’s best shellfish.
Ingredients
- Sauce
- Tarragon - 1 teaspoon, minced
- Dry white wine - 2 tablespoons
- Egg Yolks - 2
- Pinch of salt
- Lemon Juice - 1 teaspoon
- Unsalted Butter, Melted - pound
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
- Clarified Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Garlic Clove - 1, minced
- Green Onion - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Shallot - 1, minced
- Dill Weed - 1 teaspoon
- Dry white wine - 1/2 cup
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1/2 cup
- Crabmeat - 1/2 pound, picked over for shells
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Flour - 1 tablespoon, dissolved in 1 tablespoon melted butter
- Oysters - 2 dozen, on the half-shell
- Chives - 24, minced
- Parsley or Tarragon - 8 sprigs
Instructions
To prepare the sauce: Put the wine and tarragon in a small saute pan and cook over medium heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Set aside. Combine the egg yolks, salt, and lemon juice in a stainless steel bowl or the top of a double boiler. Cook over low heat, stirring gently with a whisk, until the egg yolks are warmed and thickened. Stir in the wine-tarragon mixture. Drizzle in the butter, whisking constantly to emulsify. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
Preheat the broiler to high. Heat the clarified butter in a saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Put the garlic, onions, shallot, and dill in the pan and cook 2 minutes. Add the wine and cream and reduce until thickened. In another pan, saute the crabmeat in the 2 tablespoons of butter until hot, then add to the cream mixture. Add the flour-butter combination and stir to blend. Put the oysters in a bed of rock salt and place under the broiler for 30 seconds. Take out of the broiler and spoon the cream mixture on the oysters. Top with sauce and place back under the broiler until browned.
To serve: Place three oysters in each serving dish, anchoring them in a bed of rock salt if necessary. Sprinkle with minced chives. Garnish each plate with a sprig of parsley or tarragon.
