Recipe: Oysters Casino at The Hummingbird Way

This article is from the winter edition of Mobile Baykeeper’s print quarterly, CURRENTS. The magazine is mailed to active members who have given more than $50 in the past year. To get on the magazine’s mailing list, donate here.

Recipe courtesy The Hummingbird Way | Photo by Elizabeth Gelineau

Ingredients

• 5 pounds bacon cut into ¼ inch lardons 
• 2 pounds butter
• 5 shallots peeled and brunoised 
• 5 cloves garlic finely chopped 
• .5 cups sherry vinegar 
• .25 cups lemon juice 
• .25 cups parsley chopped 
• Salt to taste

Breadcrumbs

• 4 quarts panko breadcrumbs 
• 1 pound butter
• .25 cups parsley chopped
• Salt to taste 
• Fennel pollen

Method: In a medium rondo, render the bacon lardons under medium heat until crisp. When crisp, add the 2 pounds of butter and melt, then add the shallot and sauté until translucent making sure not to brown the shallots. Add the garlic and sauté to cook the garlic. Let the bacon/shallot/butter/pork fat mix cool and add the parsley, vinegar, and lemon juice. Mix well and store until ready to grill the oysters. 

Melt 1 pound of butter in a small rondo, add the panko, season with salt, and lightly toast the breadcrumbs. Toast until lightly golden brown and let cool. Once cool, add the parsley and toss together. 

For serving the oyster, spoon about a teaspoon of the bacon/shallot mixture on each oyster and grill until the edges of the oysters start to curl on top with the seasoned panko and let warm. Remove from the grill and lightly dust with fennel pollen.