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1
Put the raw shucked oysters in a bowl, and add salt or katakuriko.
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2
Gently rub them with the salt or katakuriko to wash their surfaces, taking care not to smush them.
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3
Rinse under running water.
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4
You can wash the oysters with grated daikon radish instead.
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5
Use whichever method you usually use.
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6
Drain off the water, sprinkle with some sake (not listed in the ingredients) and then drain into a sieve with a bowl underneath.
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7
You can do everything up to this point in advance, and put the bowl and sieve in the refrigerator...
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8
...which lets the excess moisture drain off the oysters into the bowl so they aren't watery.
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9
If you're in a hurry, you can just wash them and proceed.
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10
Slice the garlic.
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11
Put the oil in a frying pan and heat with half the garlic to bring out their fragrance.
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12
If you want to make it spicy, add a de-seeded red chili pepper.
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13
Add the oysters and heat through.
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14
The moisture in the oysters will bubble up right away.
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15
Add the white wine and cook off the alcohol.
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16
When the oysters are cooked through, take them out so that don't shrink.
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17
(Make sure to put a bowl under the sieve.)
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18
If there is any scum, skim it off completely.
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19
Return the liquid that drained off the oysters into the bowl back to the frying pan.
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20
It has lots of umami so don't forget to add it back!
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21
Add the oyster sauce to the pan.
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22
Simmer to reduce.
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23
When the liquid in the pan has reduced a bit, put the oysters back in.
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24
Shake the frying pan to coat the oysters with the sauce.
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25
Be careful not to let them burn.
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26
Just before all the moisture in the pan has cooked off, add the soy sauce.
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27
Roll the oysters around, then take the pan off the heat.
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28
It will have a wonderful smell from the soy sauce.
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29
(Use ki-joyu (raw unpasteurized soy sauce) if possible.)
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30
Put the oysters in a container, add the remaining uncooked half of the garlic, and pour extra virgin olive oil over all.
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31
Add the bay leaves and black peppercorns too for extra flavor.
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32
I also add a red chili pepper.
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33
For this amount, it's not worth packing into jars since it's all gone the next day.
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34
If you make a large batch and and to preserve it, see the next step.
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35
Put the oysters in a clean jar, and add enough extra virgin olive oil to cover them, together with the ingredients.
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36
The oysters will keep for 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator if they are completely immersed in oil.
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37
Make sure to refrigerator them.
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38
I've never had any left over for longer than 2-3 weeks so I don't know how much longer they'd keep, but I recommend finishing them within 2 weeks.
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39
The oil will solidify in the refrigerator, but will return to its liquid state if you leave it out for a little while at room temperature.
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40
The oysters are not simmered for very long so they don't shrink much.
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41
They stay filled with their umami and plump.
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42
Since they're tossed with the sauce just at the very end, they taste very light and elegant.
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43
They taste great eaten the same day, but are even better the next day when the oil and oysters have melded.
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44
The remaining oil can be used in various recipes, so please use it all up.
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45
After being marinated for a few days, the oysters become very mild in flavor (because the flavor gets transferred to the oil).
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46
If they seem too bland to you, add a little rock salt to them.
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47
I always use extra virgin olive oil for this, but if you don't like olive oil you can try grapeseed oil or vegetable oil.
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48
Raw oysters go bad very fast, so if you use large frozen shucked oysters, you can enjoy their texture.
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49
I used frozen oysters in the photos for this recipe.
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50
If you are using frozen oysters for this recipe, it's best to defrost them and clean them as described, rather than sauteing them while they're still frozen.
