«Huîtres chaudes à la créole»

(Warm Oysters with Coconut Sauce)

The restaurant, «Krapillon», is located on the shipping pier of Tivinis (more about in German)in the south of the island. This local institution is renowned for its seafood and its tables are arranged right on the sands–where, while enjoying the feel of warm sand between their toes, guests can also relish the sight and taste of gigantic platters of choice seafood. The tradition at this place is to serve its food uncooked, or at least cold. But, of course, for those who dislike raw seafood, the restaurant will dish up some cooked items, for example, warm oysters with coconut sauce («Huîtres chaudes à la créole»), the recipe for which is presented here. This delicious mussel dish leads a trail to the writer Sarah Tibuni and her story of «Layon and the Oysters» – and especially to the mangrove swamps that lie just a few kilometres north of the restaurant and are so familiar to the protagonist of the novel.

Preparation

1. Open the oysters (more about in German), tilt the mussels and drain out the water through a sieve into a small pan. Keep the lower part of the shell.

2. Heat oyster water to boiling point, drop the oysters gently in and allow to poach for 20 or 30 seconds. This will make them firm.

3. Remove from water (which you keep) and put them on a kichen paper to dry. Dry out the their shells with kitchen paper and put back the mussels into the shells. Place the mussels on a oven-plate (with their open sides facing the top).

4. Mix coconut milk, lime cest, shallot, lemon-leave, chilly, ginger with the remaining water of the oysters. Let it cook slightly for about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

5. Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees. Add a teaspoon of sauce to each mussel and place the plate in the middle of the oven. Bake for about 5 minutes until the sauce bubbles slightly. Serve with a bit of white bread.

TIP

A very simple trick will ensure that the oysters stay steady in their irregular shells on the oven plate: Take some aluminium foil and rumple it. Place it beneath the oysters in such a manner that you can press into the bottom of the shell comfortably. This trick also comes in handy when you wish to serve raw oysters.

[Translated from German by Gunvanthi Balaram]

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