Oysters, Pickled Kohlrabi, Apple and Sea Lettuce - Chef Recipe by Lennox Hastie

Ingredients

8 large Pacific oysters
100mL rice vinegar
50mL (mirin
1 Tbs sea salt
1 small kohlrabi
1 Granny Smith apple
1 Tbs grapeseed oil, plus extra to spray
100g sea lettuce, soaked, rinsed and drained
100g sea grapes

Method

Prepare your embers and arrange a grill approximately 15 cm above the embers.

Prepare the oysters. Hold the oyster firmly in your hand with a cloth. With an oyster knife, dig gradually and firmly into one side of the oyster with a burrowing motion. When you feel the knife penetrate the shell, slide the knife beneath the top shell, severing the adductor muscle to open the oyster.

Carefully remove the oyster from its shell, retaining all the juices. Clean and reserve the shells for serving. Using scissors, trim away the adductor muscle and the mantle. Strain the oyster juices through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and reserve.

In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mirin and sea salt until the salt dissolves.

Peel the kohlrabi and slice (preferably using a mandolin) into 2 cm ribbons. Add to the vinegar mixture and leave to pickle for 10 minutes.

Peel and core the apple and cut into batons. Drain the pickled kohlrabi and mix in a bowl with the apple.

Place the oysters in the fine-mesh sieve and spray with grapeseed oil. Grill over gentle embers for 2 minutes on each side.

Place the sea lettuce over the grill to warm, then place in the bottom of the reserved oyster shells, followed by ribbons of pickled kohlrabi and apple batons.

Pour the reserved oyster juices into a saucepan and, over medium heat, bring to the boil. Whisk vigorously with 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil until a foamy emulsion forms.

Place each oyster back in its shell, pour over the emulsified juices, top with the sea grapes and serve immediately.

Equipment

A Grill over Applewood embers.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Finding Fire by Lennox Hastie published by Hardie Grant Books RRP $60 and is available in stores nationally.

Photo Credits: ©Nikki To.