Winter

OYSTERS TOMALES

by:
October  4, 2022
3.7
3 Ratings
  • Serves about 2 dozen oysters
Author Notes

No...I don't mean tamales, the Mexican food . Tomales is a town and a bay out in West Marin, north of San Francisco (about 60 miles). My family was among the first residents of Tomales in the 1860s. When I was young there were many oyster beds in the bay...now very few, but very good. Hog Island Oyster Company produces delicious oysters. This recipe is a my interpretation of a recipe that is a favorite in Marin County homes and restaurants. —dymnyno

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 dozen medium or large oysters (at least 6 for each person)
  • 1 lb baby spinach, washed and dryed
  • 1 tbs butter (for sauteeing spinach)
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbs garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 cup grated gruyere (loose )
  • 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup brandy
  • 2 tbs green onions (fine chop) with a little of the green part
  • pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Put the butter in a suitable sized pan and saute the spinach until wilted. Drain and dry as much as you can. Then chop it up.
  2. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, cheese, lemon juice, cognac, onions, and garlic.
  3. Using a half oyster shell as a base, put a tbs of spinach in the bottom of the shell.
  4. Add a freshly shucked oyster on top of the spinach.
  5. Put about 1 tbs of the cheese sauce on top of each oyster.
  6. Heat a broiler.
  7. Make a bed of rock salt on a baking pan to put the oysters on and to keep them from tipping over.
  8. Put the baking pan under the broiler about 4-5 inches from the broiler element so that the oysters cook and the topping sauce melts. When the cheese sauce is bubbling they are ready.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • boulangere
    boulangere
  • TasteFood
    TasteFood

3 Reviews

boulangere September 25, 2012
I still miss CA, and I still love Tomales Bay! We haunted the north coast whenever we could, and it was where my son dipped his feet in sea water for the very first time as a 6-month-old baby. Hog Island is the bomb, and so is what you have done with them.
 
boulangere May 1, 2011
I miss California! I love Tomales Bay!
 
TasteFood January 25, 2010
I'vd done something similar with New Zealand green mussels, and it's delicious. The mayo is an interesting addition - it must add a nice sweet component. Anyway, this sounds delicious, and I am a huge fan of Hog Island Oyster Company!