The
meeting of oysters, cabbage and curry was one of the first
to strike me in a powerful way.
I've accentuated the effect by modifying the spice mix and
adding lamb's lettuce and the hazelnut taste of young squid
to that of the oyster.
The ideal time to prepare this dish is around May when, in
the Bay of Mont St-Michel, during the blooming of the lilacs
and for just as brief a time, you can find 'iraches', which
are tiny baby squid.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 dozen 'creuse' oysters from Cancale, nice and crinkly (the best are those which are raised on the sea floor rather than in pockets: the floor gives them a particular flavour) - 2 small squid (ask the fishmonger to clean them so that you don't have to battle with the black ink) - 1 Easter cabbage (a pointy-leafed spring cabbage) - 1 dl Coteaux du Layon wine (1/2 cup) - A few sprigs of lamb's lettuce - A few salad burnett leaves - 1 dl chicken stock (1/2 cup) - 60 g butter (2 oz) - 1 sheet dried nori seaweed
Spice mix : 15 ml Madras curry powder (1 tbsp), 45 ml coriander (3 tbsp), a pinch of powdered saffron, 30 ml turmeric (2 tbsp), 30 ml allspice (2 tbsp), 3 cm cinnamon stick (1 1/2 inches), a little amchoor (dried green mango powder), pepper
Fairly quick and easy - Serve in shallow bowls
Basic preparation
Spice mix : grind the spices together in a blender and pass through a fine sieve. Boil the white wine to reduce its volume, add the chicken stock and 2 ml (1/3 tsp) of the spice mix. Let the mixture infuse 20 mins.
Cut the sheet of nori into thin strips and protect them from moisture by placing them in an airtight container.
Separate the cabbage leaves and remove the thick ribs (you will use 4 green and perfect leaves). Poach the leaves quickly in boiling salted water, uncovered, and refresh them in ice water. Drain them and set them aside on a plate.
Open the oysters, remove them from their shells and set them aside in their own liquid, preferably filtered.
If you haven't been able to find small squid, cut the squid into strips 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) wide and 3 cm (1 1/4 inch) long.
Last minute
Heat the cabbage leaves in a little of the oyster liquid, with a knob of butter (10 g / 1/3 oz) and a grinding of pepper.
Bring the white wine and chicken stock infusion to a boil, bind it with 40 g (1 1/3 oz) of the remaining butter, and strain it through a very fine strainer.
In a nonstick pan, sear the squid over high heat with the remaining 10 g (1/3 oz) butter. Toss them once and they'll be ready.
Place a cabbage leaf in each of the shallow bowls.
Slip the drained oysters into the buttered
infusion, at a temperature of no more than 75 C (180 F).
The mixture must not reach boiling point. Arrange the oysters
in each cabbage leaf. Coat with the infusion, which has been
enriched with oyster flavour.
Sprinkle with salad burnett, nori and sprigs
of lamb's lettuce.
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© Olivier Roellinger - Maisons de Bricourt.
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