Escoffier Questionaire: Justin Everett
Chef: Justin Everett
Restaurants: Murray Circle/Farley Bar at Cavallo Point, Sausalito
What was your favorite food as a kid?
Tacos
What was the first meal you made that you were proud of?
C...
This dish was inspired by a day with my wife and sons at Fort Cronkite beach near the Marin Headlands. The beach is made of beautiful black sand and there is almost always a nice set of waves barreling towards the shore. At Murray Circle we replicate the black sand with a mixture of ground wheat berry and fermented black garlic. You can get the same effect with dried black seaweed ground in a spice or coffee grinder.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 4 Serving(s)
Oyster, Salad and Avocado
- 12 shucked Hog Island oysters
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup mixed dried seaweed
- 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup semolina flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 cups rice bran oil for frying
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Yuzu Aioli
- 3/4 cup rice bran oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon yuzu juice
- 1/4 teaspoon microplaned fresh ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon microplaned fresh garlic
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
To Prepare the Oysters and Salad
In a large pot, place 4 cups of rice bran oil and heat on a medium flame until oil is consistently 320° F.
Combine lemon and orange juice in a bowl. Add dried seaweed and gently agitate with a spoon. Chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Drain well and discard juice. Seaweed should be soft and flavorful.
Quarter the avocado with a knife; carefully remove seed and skin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place each quarter on a separate plate and place in the refrigerator to chill.
Combine semolina and all-purpose flour in a bowl. Pour buttermilk in a second bowl. Place the shucked oysters in the buttermilk, then remove 1 at a time and gently coat in the flour mixture. Carefully add 1 oyster at a time to the hot frying oil and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from oil and rest on a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
To Prepare Aiolo
In blender, purée all ingredients except mayonnaise. Transfer to a bowl; whisk in mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Chill until needed.
To Serve
To finish the dish, remove the chilled plates with the avocado quarters from the refrigerator. Place 3 crispy oysters on top of each avocado. Scatter the seaweed salad between the oysters. Place a small amount of aioli on each oyster.
I suggest Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc as a great wine pairing with this dish.
Cheers!
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