Sylt, Brittany, the Atlantic · Eaten since prehistory, fashionable since the 19th century

Oysters on ice

Name: Oysters on ice
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Sylt, Brittany, the Atlantic
Ingredients: 24 oysters, ideally two kinds; Crushed ice; 2 lemons; Mignonette: 2 shallots finely chopped, 100 ml red wine vinegar, black pepper; Brown bread and salted butter

A dozen on crushed ice with lemon and mignonette, the sea in a shell. From the beds of List on Sylt to the marble bar at Scott’s in Mayfair, the world’s simplest luxury.

Rich2

Umami8

Fresh10

Spice1

Sweet1

The wine

Chablis, Muscadet, a brut Champagne or a dry Sylt-style Riesling; anything with salt and acid.

Oysters were poor people’s food in London and Paris until the 19th century, when overfishing made them rare and the grand cafés made them chic. Today they are the most democratic luxury on any menu: a dozen costs less than a main course and tastes of exactly where they grew. The Sylter Royal from the beds of List, Germany’s only oyster, has a clean, mineral brine; the Fine de Claire from Brittany is greener and softer.

Every city in this guide has its oyster ritual: the harbour wall at Gosch in List, the crustacea bar at Scott’s in Mayfair, the seafood tower at Balthazar in SoHo, the ice counter at Mon Amie Maxi in Frankfurt and the Sansibar in the dunes, where they arrive with champagne and a currywurst on the next table.

At home the work is opening them: a short oyster knife, a folded towel, the hinge, a twist and a cut of the muscle. Serve on crushed ice with lemon, a shallot-and-vinegar mignonette and brown bread with butter. Chew, do not swallow whole.

The home recipe · Serves 4

Ingredients

24 oysters, ideally two kinds
Crushed ice
2 lemons
Mignonette: 2 shallots finely chopped, 100 ml red wine vinegar, black pepper
Brown bread and salted butter

Method

Keep the oysters cold, cup side down, and open them at the last minute with a short knife through the hinge.
Cut the muscle under the oyster so it sits free in its shell without spilling the liquor.
Arrange on crushed ice with lemon wedges and the mignonette in a small bowl.
Serve with brown bread and butter and a very cold white wine.
Eat with one drop of lemon or a spoon of mignonette, chewing to taste the brine.