Oysters Rockefeller #SundayFunday

Happy New Year and welcome to the first #SundayFunday event of 2023. Today the crew is celebrating National Honor Elvis Presley Day which is January 8. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting. She wrote: "Elvis loved his food especially cheeseburgers, pork chops, sauerkraut, and a giant sandwich with a loaf of Italian bread, one pound of bacon, one jar of peanut butter, and a jar of grape jelly! You can also draw inspiration from his childhood home in Tupelo, Mississippi. Join me in celebrating the king."

So, I guess I can admit that I am not a huge Elvis fan. I don't know what it is about his movies, his music, his myth...eh. He just doesn't appeal to me. Still I am always up for some culinary adventure. I dug in and started looking. Typing in 'Elvis Presley recipes' gave me about two dozen ideas. I did make peanut butter banana bread, but I wanted to share the Oysters Rockefeller that I made for New Year's Eve.

Apparently this oyster dish was on the menu at Elvis and Priscilla's wedding reception in 1967. I had just ordered a dozen oysters and a new shucking knife from our CSF (community-supported fishery). And January 10th is National Oysters Rockefeller Day.

It was perfect timing. And from our first course of seafood small plates, this was in the top three. D commented, "You have always served oysters raw. I vastly prefer this way!" He's referring to my oysters with Pomegranate Mignonette and with Cucumber Mignonette.

Before I get to my recipe for the day, here's the line-up of recipes from the #SundayFunday group honoring Elvis...

• Buffalo Chicken Baked Mac and Cheese by Karen's Kitchen Stories

• Elvis' Wedding Salmon by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Hatch Chili Pepper Meatloaf by Food Lust People Love

• Oysters Rockefeller by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Pineapple Poke Cake (Elvis Presley Cake) by Palatable Pastime

• Pork Chops In Homemade Recheado Masala by Sneha's Recipe

• 'The Elvis' Peanut Butter, Bacon, & Banana Sandwich by Amy's Cooking Adventures

Oysters Rockefeller

The Miyagi oysters were fresh from Bodega Bay just up the coast from us. Miyagi oysters are also called Japanese oysters. These marvelous mollusks can each clean up to 50 gallons of water per day. Reefs also create habitats for hundreds of other sea creatures, such as mussels and clams that also help filter water. And these are on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch's Best Choice list.

There seem to be a lot of variations on this recipe, including some with bacon, some with cheese, and some with frozen spinach. I simplified and just used some fresh herbs.

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons finely chopped shallots

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used a mixture of parsley and thyme)

• 1/2 cup grated cheese (I used Grana Padana)

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 dozen fresh oysters in the shell

• Also needed: coarse salt, baking dish

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and create a bed of coarse salt in a baking dish so you can bake the oysters without spilling their toppings and natural juices..

2. Shuck the oysters. Discard the top shell. Nestle the oysters into the salt bed and set aside.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet and stir in the shallots. Cook until softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs, cheese, and breadcrumbs. Add the lemon juice.

5. Divide the topping evenly between the oysters, then place in the oven.

6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the oysters are plumped and the topping is lightly browned.

7. Serve immediately.

Well that's a wrap on my Elvis-inspired recipe. The group will be back next week with some breakfast recipes to kick-off your day. Stay tuned!