Ringing in 2015 – Menu, Gameplan, and Recipe for Oven Fried Oysters with Celery Salad and Aioli
January 5, 2015 • Appetizers, Fish & Seafood, Menus
New Year’s Eve has always been my favorite holiday to celebrate with friends, but it wasn’t until recently that I actually put by finger on why. Author Buzzy Jackson said in a recent interview that for people who believe that what you do here and now on earth is what matters most, then New Year’s Eve is important to celebrate because it marks the passing of time. It gives us all time to reflect on what we did, how we lived our lives, and how we intend to help make the world a better place in the next year. Yep, that sentiment just sings to me!
I cook for 16 of my friends on New Year’s Eve, and my themes have ranged from recipes from my cookbooks, to a celebration of the pig, to my friends’ favorite dishes and more. This year, I decided to do that Italian American traditional Christmas Eve menu of The Feast of Seven Fishes, including the menu in Italian. I’ll run through the entire menu and courses today for you, and will be giving you all of the recipes over the coming weeks, starting with the antipasto recipe today…
(You can skip to the bottom of the post for the recipe right now if you can’t wait!)
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- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Dash Tabasco™ sauce
- ¾ teaspoon celery seed
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 stalks celery, minced
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pepper
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
- ⅔ cup grated Romano cheese
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- 16 large shucked oysters
- Olive oil cooking spray (or 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil)
- FOR THE AIOLI: Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, garlic, salt, Tabasco™, and celery seed in a blender. Turn the blender on and very slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream. Spoon into a small covered container or squeeze bottle and refrigerate until ready to use. May be made several days in advance.
- FOR THE CELERY SALAD: Combine the celery, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and salt in a small bowl, mix together, and season with pepper to taste. May be made the day before.
- FOR THE OYSTERS: In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In another shallow bowl, whisk the eggs. In a third bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and parsley.
- Pat oysters dry with paper towels, then coat the oysters with flour mixture. Next, dip in eggs, and finally, coat with crumb mixture. Place coated oysters on a greased baking sheet and either spray with olive oil cooking spray or drizzle with oil. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- TO SERVE: Plate celery salad and top with 1-2 oysters and drizzle with aioli sauce.