Oysters Español

Method

The first thing to do is prepare the prosciutto.  I cut thin strips of prosciutto and then spiral it around oiled metal chop sticks – 4 in total. In an oven at about 60 deg C dry the prosciutto until crisp (2-3 hours). Remove from the chopsticks when cool and crumble. Put aside until later.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg C. Place the oiled and seasoned red pepper flesh down on an oiled baking tray and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes. The flesh should be soft and the skin darkened and eager to be peeled. Remove the pepper halves from the oven put in a plastic bag, seal the bag and leave for 5 minutes; after 5 minutes remove them from the bag and peel. Discard the peel and set the flesh aside.

In a small skillet or frying pan heat the olive oil, add the white onion and sea salt, and gently sauté the onion until translucent and soft. The onion should not be browned as we do not want to impart too much flavour and browning would do this. Add the fino sherry and sherry vinegar to the onion and reduce until there is no more liquid. Add the red pepper and onion mix to a miniature food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until a smooth puree is achieved. Push the puree through a fine sieve and then add the smoked paprika and liquid smoke drops and mix well.

For the oysters: once shucked carefully drain the oysters, retaining the salty oyster juice, gently wash them in cold water and then dry on kitchen towel or on a tea towel. Scrub the inside of the boat shaped oyster half-shells until cleaned and then place a cleaned oyster in each. Add ¼ tsp. of reserved oyster juice to each oyster and then top each with a generous teaspoon or two of the red pepper puree. Garnish with the dried prosciutto.