Red Hot Oyster and Kimchi Stuffing

Directions

1. NOTE: I used partly medium-size oysters and partly small-size Asian oysters for this recipe. I did it because Asian oysters are cheaper and robust in flavours. But for some reason on the day I went to the market for it, there were only MINI-SIZE oysters left so I had no choice but to use them, and they shrunk considerably during cooking. In conclusion, I think oysters (flesh only) that are about 1 1/2? (4 cm) in length would be perfect for this use. On a small note, celery seems to be universally endorsed as a must stuffing-ingredients… or so it seems. I didn’t have it at the time and so I excluded it from the recipe. If this violates your holiday principle strongly, feel free to add 1/4 cup of finely diced celery stalk back in with shallots and garlic.
2. Preheat the oven on 400ºF/200ºC.
3. Lay the bread cubes evenly on a sheet-tray and toast in the oven until medium-browned, approx 10 ~ 15 min. Set aside.
4. In a sauce pot, cook unsalted butter and diced bacons with 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper over medium-heat, until the butter is browned and the bacons are crispy. Add the diced shallots, minced garlic, thyme leaves, chopped sage, grated nutmeg and ground cloves. Cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the chopped kimchi, Korean gochujang paste and dried porcini, and cook for another couple of minutes to caramelize slightly. Then add the brandy and cook until the alcohol has evaporated. Add the chicken stock and oyster liquor (substitute with chicken stock if you don’t have enough oyster liquor), and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with more sea salt and ground black pepper if needed. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly for 10 minutes.
5. Place the toasted bread cubes and oysters in a large bowl, then pour the kimchi/stock mixture into the bowl. Add 1 tbsp of tabasco sauce and fold all the ingredients together evenly with a spatula. Careful not to break the oysters. Let the mixture sit for 10 ~ 15 minutes for the flavours to mix.
6. Lightly butter a shallow baking-dish, and spread the mixture evenly in the dish. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20 min (for small-size oysters), or 25 min (for medium-size oysters). Meanwhile, melt 1 1/2 tbsp of unsalted butter in a small pot, then add grated garlic, thinly sliced sage and ground black pepper. Turn off the heat once the mixture is fragrant. Remove the foil from the baking-dish, and drizzle the garlic butter evenly over the dressing. Bake in the oven for another 15 min until the top is crispy and browned.
7. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!