Oysters Rockefeller

Ingredients

• 24 oysters in the shell
• 1 kg coarse rock salt, for the tray
• 120 g butter, softened
• 150 g spinach leaves, washed
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped fennel fronds or tarragon
• 2 tbsp Pernod or other anise liqueur
• 50 g dried breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Few dashes of hot sauce
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• Salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Scrub the oyster shells under cold running water.
• Shuck the oysters, keeping each one in its deeper half shell with its liquor.
• Spread the rock salt over a large baking tray in an even bed.
• Heat the oven to 220C.

Steps

1. Wilt the spinach in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 minutes, until it collapses.
2. Tip the spinach into a sieve and press out as much water as you can with the back of a spoon.
3. Chop the drained spinach finely on a board.
4. Put the butter, spring onions, celery, parsley and fennel fronds into a food processor.
5. Add the chopped spinach, breadcrumbs, Pernod, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.
6. Blitz to a thick green paste and season it with salt and pepper.
7. Nestle the oyster shells into the rock salt so each one sits level.
8. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the green butter over each oyster, covering it completely.
9. Bake for 10 minutes, until the topping is bubbling and starting to brown at the edges.
10. Rest the tray for 2 minutes so the shells are safe to touch.
11. Serve the oysters on their salt bed with lemon wedges.