Holiday Recipe from Chef James Doss

“Oysters have been a part of our holiday tradition as long as we’ve been together, but even longer for James. His grandmother used to make oyster dressing at Thanksgiving, and that’s a dish James continues to serve in honor of his roots (and because it’s delicious). We’ve hosted family at our restaurant for holiday meals many times over the years when we’re closed to the public. There’s something extra special about having the restaurant to ourselves with our families. We’ve served steamed and raw oysters since we started hosting, but now that we’re farming our own (oysters), they have become even more of a staple of our holiday meals and include various preparations, with these roasted oysters being a favorite.”

-Sarah and James Doss, RX Chicken & Oysters, Wilmington, NC

Roasted Oysters with Lacy Cornbread Crumbles, Kimchi, and Butter

LACY CORNBREAD CRUMBLES

1 cup finely ground white cornmeal

1 ¼ cup water

Vegetable oil for cooking

*no salt is necessary in this recipe if you’re using briny oysters, which we recommend!

Thoroughly mix cornmeal and water. Cook in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the cornbread batter like you would a small pancake - using 1 tablespoon of batter per pancake and fry on both sides until lightly golden brown.

Allow to cool completely and then crumble by hand or cut with a knife.

VEGETARIAN KIMCHI

To make homemade kimchi, which Chef Doss recommends, takes a few weeks of fermentation time which is a great project.  For ease and the upcoming holiday, purchase a good-quality vegetarian kimchi. 

ROASTED OYSTERS

This recipe will make about two dozen oysters.

Finely chop vegetarian kimchi (store-bought or your own). Mix with equal parts cornbread crumble. Shuck fresh, briny oysters, leaving as much of the oyster liquor as possible.

PRO TIP: Rock salt on a baking pan works as a good bed to hold your oysters to prevent them from tipping over.( And if you don’t have rock salt, you can use aluminum foil to make wells to hold the shells.)

Top each oyster with the cornbread/kimchi mixture and ½ teaspoon of butter. Bake at 400 degrees until lightly golden brown (generally around 5 minutes). Serve roasted oysters garnished with a lemon wedge.

Photo Credit: Sarah Doss, RX Chicken & Oysters