We believe that one of the many things to look forward to in life is a little bit of luxury once in a while.
 

Whether you’re planning a dinner party for friends or you’re just feeling fancy on a Thursday evening, oysters are a great appetizer for an occasion. Paired with a good glass of bubbles, nothing says the high life better than this dish.
 
Preparing oysters at home can seem pretty intimidating. However, they’re surprisingly simple. Oysters have a reputation of being worthy of fine dining restaurants and the skills required should be taught in culinary programs. Yet they’re super easy to prepare in your own kitchen and anyone can do it!
 
The tools you will need:

– Good quality fresh oysters
– Oyster knife (we recommend Toadfish Knifes,)
– A shucking glove. You can find these on Amazon if you don’t have one you can use a cloth (just be careful)
– Salt or ice for your oysters to sit on
– Your ingredients to make your toppings (we’ll get into that a little later)​

Pro Tips:

– Remember not all oysters are the same. West Coast oysters are small and sweet, East Coast oysters are briny, and oysters from the Gulf are more meaty so pick as you wish. We know in Cayman the selection can be slim so we get what we can get!
– If you see an oyster with a broken shell, it’s more than likely to be spoiled.
– If the juice in the oyster is clear, leave it in the shell. 

Technique:

Before you serve your oysters, be sure to clean the shells, especially if they’re going to be served with the shell. Scrub them under cold running water. Do not shuck your oysters until it is time to serve them. When you do shuck them, wear a shucking glove or wrap the oyster in a cloth. Hold the flat part of the shell upwards, with the hinged side facing you. Insert a shucking knife in the hinge and twist until the shells break apart. Use the knife to sever the muscle that holds the shells closed.
 
Since you’ve gone through the trouble of shucking your own oysters, why not try dressing them up with something a bit fancier than a squeeze of lemon? We asked our amazing sushi chefs to give up the deeds on what goes into some of our dressings we have on our A&D Raw Bar menu. These three recipes are super easy to make – just combine all ingredients together and use a teaspoon for each sauce on each oyster. This will enhance the sweet or briny flavour of your fresh oysters.
 
Recipes:

A&D’s Mignonette Sauce
Red wine vinegar – 8oz
Finely chopped shallots – 50 grams
 
A&D’s Shooter Sauce
Tomato juice – 8oz
Tabasco – 1 spoon
Worcestershire – 3 ½ oz
Finely chopped celery – 25 grams
Finely chopped chives – 10 grams
 
A&D’s Champagne Sauce
Ketchup – 8oz
Horseradish – 100ml
Lemon juice – 1 ½ oz
Tobiko – 1 spoon