Thai Oysters with a Lime and Cucumber Granita

These Thai oysters are dressed with a sweet and spicy dressing and then topped with a cooling salty sour granita. The perfect balance of flavours. If you love oysters then I know you will love these babies!

So after posting a few warming winter dishes. I thought perhaps I should give my Northern hemisphere readers a chance.  As cold as I know an English summer can be, I am sure you don't want to be eating soup and pies every day. And with a massive heat wave hitting parts of the US, I am sure you are avoiding soups too!

So today I am sharing a dish that could be classed as summery. Although I enjoyed it a week or so ago when it was howling winds and torrential rain (Yup weather in Western Australia is mental at the moment!!!!)

I love oysters, but I do prefer them raw to cooked. Sat at the beach, eating oysters dressed with lemon and a bit of salt! Yes!!! Maybe with a little glass of bubbly and a setting sun....seriously doesn't that sound romantic!!!

Today though I am sharing what might be my favourite way to enjoy oysters. Thai Oysters with a Lime and Cucumber Granita. The Granita needs a bit of prep so it isn't an instant fix. If you are looking for something quick then try my WA day Oysters, oysters dressed with a apple mignonette.

The oysters and the dressing don't take much prep but the granita does. Now push comes to shove you could skip the granita. When my sweet friend Emily came around a couple of months back, I whipped up the dressing and just served the oysters with that. They needed a small sprinkle of sea salt, but they were still delicious. But if you have an evening with friends planned and have the time to whip up the granita then I totally totally recommend it. It is a salty sour hit. Which works so well with the sweet spicy dressing and ozoney oysters.

Are you a swallow them whole person? I like to suck them into my mouth, bite to release the seaside and then swallow with all the delicious additional flavours. I 'blame' Nigel Slater. Before I had ever eaten an oyster I read his fabulous book 'Real Cooking'. Which is one of my favourite cookbooks of all time. Not just for the simple, delicious recipes, or the fabulous introductions and perfect writing. But also because it was the cookbook that really got me into cooking. It was the book that took my love of eating and exploded it into a love of cooking and recipes. It is the book that spent at 14 years next to my bed. And now I think about it, it is the book I should have replaced as soon as the house burnt down!!! (Getting my butt onto Amazon as soon as I finish this post!)

Anyway, in the book he described the first time he ate oysters and his preference for the one bite method. Having never eaten them before and being a massive fan, the first time I ate them I followed his lead. I will never go back. Nigel Slater is a bit of a food hero of mine and if it is good enough for him then I will never argue!

So dress your oysters, tip your head back, take a bite and them swallow them with the spicy sweet dressing and salty sour granita. I promise this is heaven. Well it is heaven if you like oysters!!! Stew will always try one, but he is yet to be convinced! I feel I still have time! I have convinced him on olives, avocados and anchovies......we have a few decades left. I should get oysters in there one day???? I have managed to convince my Dad! Last year at Little Creatures Bar, he tried one. He enjoyed it but said it wasn't something he would eat a lot of. I am taking that  as a win, well at least a start?

So until then oysters will remain a solitary treat in my house. Unless I have friends over and then we can slurp and bite to our hearts content :-). Enjoy x

P.s How do you enjoy your oysters? Are you a raw or cooked kind of person? And do you swallow them whole? Or take a good bite!

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Print Recipe

4.5 from 4 votes

Thai Oysters with a Lime and Cucumber Granita

These Thai oysters are dressed with a sweet and spicy dressing and then topped with a cooling salty sour granita. The perfect balance of flavours. If you love oysters then I know you will love these babies!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Servings: 24

Calories: 13kcal

Author: Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts

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Ingredients

US Customary - Grams

• 24 shucked oysters

For the Granita

• 2 Lebanese cucumber or 1 continental/english cucumber
• 1 teaspoon salt
• juice 1 lime
• zest of lime
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro/coriander

For the Thai Dressing

• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup grated palm sugar or raw sugar
• 3 red chillies
• ½ garlic clove

Instructions

• Start by making the granita.
• Grate the cucumbers and place them in a colander over a bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
• Squeeze the cucumbers to release any extra moisture and then discard the flesh.
• Add the lime juice, lime zest, water and chopped coriander to the cucumber juice.
• Give the mixture a taste. It should be sour and salty.
• Pour the mixture into a shallow plastic container and place in the freezer.
• Allow to freeze for an hour and then use a fork to scrape the semi frozen liquid away from the edges.
• Stir and scrape the granita at 30 minute intervals until it is light and granular.
• Once it is ready it should be easy to spoon and scoop.
• Keep frozen until needed
• To make the dressing. Gently heat the rice wine vinegar until you can only just hold your finger in it.
• Add the grated palm sugar.
• Finely chop the chilli (leaving the seeds in is optional - I don't) and the garlic
• Add them to the vinegar mixture and pour into a small bowl to cool.
• Serve the oysters on a bed of salt or ice with the two dressings on the side.

Nutrition

Calories: 13kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 8.7mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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