Description
A delightful mix of fresh seafood with crumbly cornbread, leeks, and spicy banana peppers.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 leek
- 1 banana pepper
- 2 tbsp butter or oil
- 12 fresh oysters
For the cornbread:
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
For the garlic chili oil:
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp red chili flakes
- 1 head of garlic, peeled
Instructions
For the cornbread:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Put butter in a 9-inch seasoned cast-iron skillet and place in oven.
- While the butter is melting and the skillet is preheating, whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl (cornmeal, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar).
- In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.
- Whisk the wet mixture into the dry mixture until combined.
- Once butter is melted, remove skillet from the oven, turning the pan so the butter coats all sides.
- Pour the remaining butter into the batter, and mix until combined.
- Once the oven is preheated, pour batter into hot skillet and place in oven.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are beginning to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Pace on resting rack and cool.
For the garlic chili oil:
- Place all ingredients in a small pot.
- Heat on low-medium heat. Stir occasionally.
- Once the garlic cloves have turned golden brown, remove the pot from heat.
- Strain and store in a metal container to cool.
- Keep refrigerated.
For assembling:
- With a knife, slice off the root end and the tough green top of a leek.
- Thinly slice the remainder of the leek.
- Remove seeds and stem from a banana pepper. Brunoise the remainder.
- Sauté leek and banana pepper in oil or butter until tender.
- Once cool, remove cornbread from pan and break apart into small crumbles in a mixing bowl.
- Mix together equal portions of cornbread crumb, leek, and banana pepper. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Shuck your oysters, and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Top each oyster with your crumble mixture and bake for 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees until golden brown and crispy on top.
- Garnish with fresh herbs, Maldon salt, garlic chili oil, and a lemon wedge.