Market Select Oysters Recipe

Chill and prepare bed

Place crushed ice or a bed of rock salt on a large serving platter or individual plates to stabilize oysters and keep them cold.

Keep shucked oysters cold on ice in their liquor until ready to arrange. Rinse shells briefly if needed to remove grit, and discard any broken shells.

Arrange oysters on the prepared ice bed with the cup (deeper) side down so the oyster liquor remains in the shell. Garnish the platter with lemon wedges for squeezing at the table.

In a medium bowl, combine ketchup (1 cup) and prepared horseradish (3 tbs). Stir until smooth.

Add fresh lemon juice (2 tsp), Worcestershire sauce (1 tsp), hot sauce (1 tsp), smoked paprika (optional, 1 tsp) and black pepper (1 tsp). Mix thoroughly and taste.

Adjust heat or acidity to preference by adding more horseradish for heat, more lemon for brightness, or a dash more hot sauce. Chill until serving. Transfer to a small serving bowl and place on the oyster platter.

In a small bowl, combine champagne or white wine vinegar (1/2 cup) with fresh orange juice (2 tbs) and fresh lemon juice (1 tbs).

Add the minced fresh ginger (2 tsp), very finely minced shallot (2 tbs), granulated sugar (1 tsp), sea salt (1/2 tsp) and freshly ground black pepper (1/4 tsp). Whisk to dissolve the sugar and salt.

Stir in thinly sliced chives (2 tbs). Taste and adjust: add more vinegar for brightness, a pinch more sugar to tame acidity, or a drop more olive oil (1 tsp) to round flavors if desired.

Cover and refrigerate the mignonette for at least 15–20 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Bring out of the fridge 5 minutes before serving.

Place small bowls of cocktail sauce and the citrus-ginger mignonette on the platter beside the oysters so guests can spoon sauces onto oysters individually.

To eat: optionally squeeze a lemon wedge over an oyster, add a small spoonful of cocktail sauce or a few drops of mignonette, then tip the oyster from its shell and slurp. Provide napkins and small forks if desired.

Leftover sauces keep refrigerated up to 3 days (cocktail) and 24–48 hours (mignonette) — mignonette may become more assertive with time.