I love to make small appetizers when friends come to visit. Sometimes I just make a bunch of appetizers and a salad and call it dinner! Oysters are a favorite although I really don’t like the raw. I prefer my fish cooked, thank you! I make Oysters Rockefeller a lot and wanted something different and came up with this tasty morsel! The tomatoes go well with the Brininess or the Oysters with the Sambuca adds a touch of sweetness. They look pretty too! You can make the sauce ahead of time and spoon it onto the Oysters just before you are ready to bake them. Add a minute or two to the cooking time if the sauce is cold.
Oysters Pomodoro
2 Dozen Raw Oysters Shucked and on the half shell (your Fish Monger will Shuck them for you)
2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsps. Olive Oil
½ cup Sambuca
Pinch of salt
Dash of Hot Sauce or more if you like it spicier.
1 Tbsp Parsley
½ cup Parmesan cheese
3 strips of bacon fried crisp and crumbled
¾ cups plain bread crumbs
2 to 3 cups Rock salt for baking your oysters.
Lemon wedges for serving.
Place your bacon on a sheet pan and place it in a 400-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the bacon has cooked through and is crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When cool, crumble and set it aside.
Heat Olive Oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the tomatoes and reduce the heat to medium low. Stirring often, allow the tomatoes to thicken - about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the hot sauce, parsley, salt, and crumbled bacon to the tomato mixture and stir gently. Add the Sambuca and cook for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to burn off. In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together.
On a sheet pan pour 2 cups of rock salt into 24 small piles. These will hold your oysters level when you bake them. Place an Oyster on each pile of Rock salt. Using a spoon, gently spoon about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of the Pomodoro sauce onto each Oyster, covering it and filling the shell. Some Oysters may be a bit larger and require a little more. After all Oysters are covered with the sauce, gently sprinkle the tops with the bread and cheese mixture. Bake in a 375-degree oven 15 minutes or until the bread crumbs are slightly brown. Squeeze a lemon wedge over the top of the Oysters and serve immediately. I serve them on the sheet pan but if you want to transfer to an Oyster plate you can. Just be careful, the shells will be very hot.
Enjoy!