Oysters Rockefeller

Ingredients:

Oysters

• 24 opened oysters on their shells
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, preferably panko
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup Pernod
• A little red hot sauce
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 1/4 tbsp. grated parmesan
• 1 tbsp chopped chervil or parsley
• Rock salt
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Mignonette sauce

• 3/4 cup champagne vinegar
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. l. chopped chervil
• Juice of half a lemon

Preparation:

1. Oysters:
   
   Melt the butter in a frying pan. Saute the garlic for 2 minutes until fragrant. Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl and stir in half of the garlic butter. Set aside. Add the shallots and spinach to the remaining garlic butter in the pan and cook for 3 minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Deglaze the pan with Pernod. Season with salt and pepper, and add a splash of hot sauce. Cook for a few minutes.
2. Mix breadcrumbs with olive oil, Parmesan, and chervil, season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of the spinach mixture onto each oyster, then top with a spoonful of breadcrumbs. Sprinkle a thick layer of rock salt on a baking sheet. Arrange the oysters in the salt to keep them stable.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 230°C for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Serve with lemon wedges and red pepper sauce.
   
   Mignonette sauce:
   
   Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving with the oysters (you'll make 3/4 cup).