Tempura oysters with Asian slaw and nam jim by Roy Brett of Ondine 

At Ondine, Valentine’s Day & Oysters are in high demand. This Valentine’s day we will be expecting to sell well over one thousand oysters on the night. It may be at the back of some couple’s minds that these delicious molluscs act as a powerful aphrodisiac. Research has shown that they contain high levels of amino acids & zinc which increases testosterone.
In this recipe, we have added a spicy Vietnamese sauce with a sharp contrasting Asian Slaw. 

Ingredients: Serves 2
For the Tempura Oysters:
12 Rock Oysters
70g corn flour
30g plain flour
Pinch Maldon Salt
Cracked white pepper
Small bunch of coriander, chopped
Ice sparking water

For the Nam Jim Sauce:
50g roasted peanuts, finely chopped
50g light brown sugar
2 red chillies, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
30g ginger, finely diced
40ml fish sauce
40ml lime juice
small bunch of coriander, chopped

For the Asian Slaw:
50g coriander stalks
80g carrot, julienne
80g mouli, julienne
80g spring onion, julienne
Lime wedges to serve

Method
To prepare an oyster.

1 Hold the oyster firmly with a towel, locate the valve and carefully leaver oyster knife 
into the head into the valve, twisting it until the oyster begins to open.
2 Keep prying the oyster, and use the blade of the knife to detach the meat from the shell.
3 Now place the oysters onto a J cloth and set aside. 
4 Place a small pan of water with salt onto the heat and boil the shells for a few minutes to clean the rinse in cold water.

Once the oysters have been prepared:
1 To make the batter, mix the flours and the salt and pepper together. Add a little iced sparkling water and crushed ice, then fold in the coriander.
2 Dip the Oyster into the batter and fry in a deep fat fryer at 180˚C until crisp, shake off any excess oil, lay on a drying cloth and season well.
3 In a bowl mix together the Asian Slaw & a little of the Nam Jim Sauce.
4 On a serving dish place the oyster shells on a little wet sea salt.
5 Place a little of the slaw into each of the oyster shells.
6 Place the Oyster on top of the slaw to serve.
7 Add a lime wedge to finish.

In association with Taste Communications.

www.tastecommunications.co.uk