Southern Oysters Rockefeller Recipe
6 Oysters topped w / bacon collard greens, house – made parmesan
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Ingredients
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Oysters & Toppings
Bed & Baking
Method
Prepare Oysters & Toppings
Shuck oysters
Carefully shuck each oyster, keeping as much liquor (juice) in the shell as possible. Inspect for shell fragments and set oysters on a tray on ice while you prepare the topping.
Cook bacon and aromatics
In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the diced bacon and cook until just crisp, about 5–7 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel, reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan. Discard excess fat or reserve for another use.
Sauté greens
Add the unsalted butter and minced shallot to the reserved bacon fat over medium heat. Sauté shallot 1–2 minutes until translucent. Add the minced garlic and chopped collard greens and sauté until the greens are wilted and tender, about 3–4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until most of the wine evaporates, about 1 minute.
Finish topping mixture
Stir in the cooked bacon, lemon zest, Worcestershire, hot sauce (if using), cream or crème fraîche, half of the grated Parmesan (reserve the rest for topping), panko breadcrumbs, parsley, kosher salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. The mixture should be moist but not soupy—add a little more cream if needed.
Assemble & Bake
Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) with rack in upper third of oven.
Choose an ovenproof baking dish or rimmed sheet. Pour the coarse kosher salt or rock salt into the dish to create a stable bed for the oyster shells so they don't tip. Nestle each shucked oyster, in its half shell, into the salt bed.
Spoon a generous tablespoon (or enough to cover) of the collard-bacon-Parmesan topping onto each oyster, pressing gently so the topping adheres and covers the oyster liquor.
Dot each oyster with a small amount of melted butter (about 1/4 tsp) for gloss and to help browning. Sprinkle the remaining grated Parmesan evenly over the six oysters and lightly dust each with a pinch of panko for extra crispness.
Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until the topping is bubbling and lightly golden, about 8–10 minutes. If you prefer a more browned top, finish with 1–2 minutes under the broiler—watch carefully to avoid burning.