In September, Oysters 'R' In

PHOTO FROM "FERMANAGH BLACK BACON COOKBOOK"

By Margaret M. Johnson

Fall is oyster season in Ireland, and the salty, briny, it’s-an-acquired-taste delicacy is a real gem of Irish food heritage. Oyster eating was originally confined to months that have an "r" in their name, leaving out the months of May through August (some of the hottest months of the year in oyster-rich regions). But thanks to modern food preservation and oyster farming, oyster eating is a year-round affair. Despite food safety no longer a major issue, September is still considered to be the start of the “season,” and two places in Galway honor this tradition with major festivals celebrating the local delicacy — Clarenbridge holds its annual event September 9-11 and Galway follows-up September 23-25. Both events are celebrating their 62^nd anniversary. Short of being in Galway in person, give one of these recipes a try to celebrate from afar.

Grilled Oysters with Black Bacon and Watercress

Serves 6

Irish oysters are considered food “fit for the gods.” It’s hard to believe the prized mollusk was once considered “famine food” and associated with poverty and hard times. Carried in panniers by donkeys along dirt-track roads, the seaweed-wrapped shellfish were sold not by the dozen but by the barrelful and were often given away free by Dublin publicans and innkeepers. Native wild oysters are still synonymous with Galway Bay, where they fatten in its clear and clean water, but you’ll find them throughout the country, offered straight from the shell with a squeeze of lemon or topped with tangy mignonette sauce, or grilled with delicious toppings. This recipe is adapted from Fermanagh butcher Pat O’Doherty’s “Fermanagh Black Bacon Cookbook.”

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons each chopped watercress and chopped spinach

3 tablespoons chopped scallions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons chopped celery

4 teaspoons white bread crumbs

1 teaspoon Pernod

Pinch of cayenne

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

4 streaky rashers (traditional Irish bacon), chopped

24 shucked oysters

Lemon wedges for serving

1. In a large skillet, melt butter. Stir in watercress, spinach, scallions, 1 tablespoon parsley, celery, 2 teaspoons bread crumbs, Pernod, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl and chill for about 1 hour.


2. In a large skillet or microwave oven, cook bacon until crisp. Cool and crumble; stir into watercress mixture.


3. Preheat broiler. Place oysters on a broiler pan and divide the watercress mixture evenly over top. Sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs. Broil 4 inches from heat source for about 3 minutes, or until crumbs are lightly browned.


4. To serve, place 4 oysters on each of 6 plates, sprinkle with remaining parsley, and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Serves 6

For a simpler version of grilled oysters, all you need is a stick of Kerrygold Garlic and Herb Butter!

3 tablespoons Kerrygold Garlic and Herb Butter

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

24 shucked oysters

1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Lemon wedges for serving

1. Preheat broiler. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper.


2. Place oysters on a broiler pan and divide the breadcrumbs mixture evenly over top. Broil 4 inches from the heat source for about 3 minutes or until breadcrumbs are lightly browned.


3. To serve, place 4 oysters on each of 6 plates, sprinkle with parsley, and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Makes 1/2 cup

This tangy sauce is the classic accompaniment to raw oysters.

1 tablespoon black or mixed peppercorns, coarsely ground

1/2 cup white or red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; chill. Serve with chilled oysters.

Margaret M. Johnson’s Recipes column appears every other week in the Irish Echo. Her "Favorite Flavors of Ireland” is a “labor of love and tribute to her 30 years of travel there. It offers more than 100 best-loved recipes from her previous 10 cookbooks and celebrates the special flavors of each Irish season: Spring/An t-Earrach, Summer/An Samhradh, Autum/An Fómhar, Winter/An Geimhreadh.” To order a signed copy, visit www.irishcook.com.