Oysters on Ice with Champagne & Pink Peppercorn Mignonette

⏱ 25 min · Serves 2

Cold, briny oysters meet a bright, fizzy mignonette sharpened with shallot and crushed pink peppercorns. Twelve minutes of shucking and you have the most glamorous thing you can serve without turning on the oven — pour the rest of the bottle and call it a night.

Per serving: 135 kcal · 11.5g protein · 7.0g carbs · 3.5g fat

Ingredients

• 12 very fresh oysters (Rock or Native), scrubbed
• 1 small banana shallot, very finely diced (about 3 tbsp)
• 4 tbsp Champagne or dry sparkling wine
• 2 tbsp Champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 1 tsp pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1/4 tsp caster sugar
• Pinch of flaky sea salt
• 1 tsp finely chopped chives
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• Crushed ice, to serve
• Rye or sourdough bread and cold butter, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Make the mignonette first: combine the diced shallot, Champagne vinegar, sugar and a pinch of flaky salt in a small bowl. Stir and leave for 15 minutes so the shallot softens and loses its raw bite.
2. Stir in the crushed pink peppercorns and the Champagne. Chill until needed — it's best used within an hour so the wine keeps its sparkle.
3. Fill a shallow serving platter with crushed ice and set it in the fridge.
4. Shuck the oysters: hold each one cupped-side down in a folded tea towel, work the tip of an oyster knife into the hinge, twist firmly to pop it, then slide the blade along the top shell to cut the muscle. Lift off the lid.
5. Run the knife under the oyster to free it from the bottom shell, picking out any shell fragments. Keep every drop of the oyster liquor.
6. Nestle the oysters on the iced platter as you go, keeping them level. Discard any that smell off or aren't tightly shut before shucking.
7. Stir the chives through the mignonette, spoon about a teaspoon over each oyster, and serve immediately with lemon wedges and buttered rye.