Oysters en brochette is a classic dish in
Creole cuisine
Creole cuisine (French: ; Portuguese: ; Spanish: ) is a cuisine style born in colonial times, from the fusion between European, African and pre-Columbian American traditions. ''Creole'' is a term that refers to those of European origin who ...
. Raw
oyster
Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not al ...
s are
skewered, alternating with pieces of partially cooked
bacon
Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...
.
The entire dish is then
broiled
Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat a ...
or
breaded
Bread crumbs or breadcrumbs (regional variants including breading and crispies) consist of crumbled bread of various dryness, sometimes with seasonings added, used for breading or crumbing foods, topping casseroles, stuffing poultry, thicken ...
(usually with
corn flour
Cornflour may refer to:
* Cornflour (in the UK), corn starch, from the endosperm of the kernel of the corn (maize) grain
* Corn flour (in the US and elsewhere), very finely ground cornmeal, ground from dried maize
See also
* Flour
* Starch ...
) then either
deep fried
Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. Normal ...
or
sautéed. The traditional presentation is on triangles of toast with the skewer removed and dusted with salt and pepper or topped with either
Maitre d'Hotel butter or a
Meunière sauce.
When prepared well, the dish should have a crispy exterior and a soft savory center with a textural contrast between the bacon and the oyster. It was usually offered on restaurant menus as an
appetizer
An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the ...
; but was also a popular lunch entrée.
History
At one time, it was a ubiquitous option on menus across the spectrum of New Orleans restaurants. The dish is served, as of November 2015, at
Galatoire's.
Variations
Oysters en brochette has been prepared with mushrooms on the skewers, rather than bacon,
and also with both mushrooms, bacon, chunks of tomato, and/or cubes of cooked ham.
Similar dishes
A similar dish served as an
hors d'oeuvre
An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the m ...
is
angels on horseback
Angels on horseback is a hot hors d'œuvre or savoury made of oysters wrapped with bacon. The dish, when served atop breads, can also be a canapé.
The dish is typically prepared by rolling shucked oysters in bacon and baking them in an oven. ...
. Single oysters are wrapped in partially cooked slices of bacon, each skewered with a
toothpick
A toothpick is a small thin stick of wood, plastic, bamboo, metal, bone or other substance with at least one and sometimes two pointed ends to insert between teeth to remove detritus, usually after a meal. Toothpicks are also used for festive ...
. They are floured, deep-fried, and then passed on cocktail platters with a dipping sauce.
See also
*
Cuisine of New Orleans
The cuisine of New Orleans encompasses common dishes and foods in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is perhaps the most distinctively recognized regional cuisine in the United States. Some of the dishes originated in New Orleans, while others are comm ...
*
List of seafood dishes
This is a list of notable seafood dishes. Seafood dishes are food dishes which use seafood (fish, shellfish or seaweed) as primary ingredients, and are ready to be served or eaten with any needed preparation or cooking completed. Many fish or ...
*
List of mushroom dishes
This is a list of notable mushroom dishes and foods, comprising foodstuffs prepared using mushrooms as a primary ingredient.
Edible mushrooms have variety of benefits when consumed. They have essential nutrients we need for a healthy life, includ ...
*
Louisiana Creole cuisine
Louisiana Creole cuisine (french: cuisine créole, lou, manjé kréyòl, es, cocina criolla) is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana, United States, which blends West African, French, Spanish, and Amerindian influences,
as well as in ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oysters En Brochette
Louisiana Creole cuisine
Appetizers
Bacon dishes
Oyster dishes
Mushroom dishes
Skewered foods
Deep fried foods
American seafood dishes