Oysters Rockefeller at Home

Baked fresh oysters on the half shell, topped with a rich spinach mixture, makes Oysters Rockefeller a tasty and special appetizer.

Oysters Rockafeller is a classic seafood appetizer.  And back in the day, it was an almost required menu item in fine dining establishments. That’s because a creamy rich oyster, embellished with a savory topping, is a perfect way to start a great dinner.

If you have never had the pleasure, Oysters Rockefeller (per Wikipedia) are “oysters on the half-shell that have been topped with various other ingredients… then baked or broiled.”

Originally topped with a mixture containing herbs like parsley or chervil, today you are likely to find a topping based on spinach.   

This now classic appetizer was originally created at Antoine’s in New Orleans, where you can still get it today. We made sure to stop there when we visited and have our authentic numbered certificate to commemorate the experience! 

Why You’ll Love This!

Flavorful. Rich and flavored with spinach, garlic and Parmesan, people pay the big bucks (see below) because they are so good!

Classy. Want an appetizer that will impress? Look no further!

(Relatively) Economical. If you buy an order of six in a restaurant, it’s likely to set you back around $18. But the bulk oysters I use (more on this below) are $25/pint and make around 4 times this.

Step by Step Overview

Melt the butter in a small saucepan or sautee pan. Add the minced shallots, minced garlic, and salt, then simmer on medium until just tender—don’t let them brown or the garlic will be bitter. Remove from the heat.

Place the panko crumbs in a small bowl. Stir in a couple teaspoons of the butter mixture. Set aside.

Add the Vermouth (or wine) to the butter mixture and cook until reduced/not soupy.  Stir in the chopped spinach and steam until wilted. Then stir in the Parmesan.

Set 12 half shells (or ceramic substitute “shells”) inside in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Top each shell with a drained oyster. If your oysters are quite small you can use two, or if they are very large you can cut in half.

Top each oyster with a spoonful of spinach mixture, then sprinkle with about a teaspoon of breadcrumbs.  

Bake in a 400F oven for about 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Serve immediately. 

Can I Use Bulk Oysters?

This dish is usually made with freshly shucked oysters. But, news flash, if you don’t do it regularly, shucking is hard–even if you buy a special oyster knife. In fact, when we tried shucking our own, we decided the high restaurant price was totally worth it! Which is how we converted to making this with bulk oysters.

Bulk oysters are oysters where the shell has already been removed for you. The oyster and its juices (oyster liquor) are then sold, often packaged by the pint. It’s both easier and more economical. And bulk oysters work just fine for Oysters Rockafeller.

The one challenge in using bulk oysters is acquiring oyster shells. We washed and sanitized our original shells, but this is discouraged by food safety folks. They suggest you use food safe ceramic “shells” which are easier to clean.  And are now on my shopping list!

Variations

Sometimes Oysters Rockafeller are served with an added sauce. A mignonette sauce was an early favorite but now you’re more likely to find them topped with Hollandaise like this Easy Blender Hollaindaise.

If you do go with bulk oysters and don’t use them all up, I have a few other delicious oyster recipes. Consider my Fried Oyster Salad, also inspired by my previously mentioned New Orleans trip.

Or consider this Oyster Cornbread Dressing (not just for Thanksgiving) or delicious Oyster Chowder.

Tips & FAQs

You may have heard the saying that you should only eat oysters in “r” months—that is months whose name contains the letter “r.” The basis of this is to avoid the warm summer months where oysters are more likely to be contaminated.

With modern cultivation, storage, sourcing, etc techniques this isn’t strictly true anymore, though my purveyor (from Texas) only has them in non-R months anyway.

And I should note that I once had a problem buying bulk oysters from a seller who scooped then from a large bin. When I got home I realized I had 2/3 pint of oyster liquor with about 1/3 of a pint of oysters, rather than the full pint of oysters I usually get.  I guess that’s the bulk oyster equivalent of a butcher’s finger on the scale!

That said, the oyster liquor makes a delicious base for seafood recipes or soups. I pour it off, strain it, then top off a container I keep in the freezer until I have enough to cook with.

Best Seafood Dishes

• 15 Minute Shrimp Tacos from Jen Around the World
• Cedar Planked Sockeye Salmon with Maple Blueberry Chutney from Creative Cynchronicity
• Oysters Rockafeller from Art of Natural Living
• Pasta Carbonara with Shrimp and Leeks from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• White Fish Caprese from That Recipe

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Oysters Rockefeller

Baked fresh oysters on the half shell, topped with a rich spinach mixture, makes Oysters Rockefeller a tasty and special appetizer.

Author: Inger

5 from 1 vote

Print

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Appetizers

Cuisine New Orleans

Servings 2

Calories 250 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 small shallot minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon Vermouth or white wine
• 4-5 cups fresh spinach chopped (3-4 ounces)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
• 3 Tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs mixed with 1 teaspoon garlic butter,
• 12 raw oysters shucked or bulk with half shell or substitute

Instructions

 

• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the minced shallots, minced garlic, and salt, then simmer on medium until just tender—don’t let them brown or the garlic will be bitter. Remove from the heat
• Place the panko crumbs in a small bowl. Stir in a couple teaspoons of the butter mixture. Set aside.
• Add the Vermouth (or wine) to the butter mixture and cook until reduced/not soupy
• Stir in the chopped spinach and steam until wilted. Then stir in the Parmesan.
• Set 12 half shells (or ceramic substitute "shells") inside in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Top each shell with a drained oyster. If your oysters are quite small you can use two, or if they are very large you can cut in half.
• Top each oyster with a spoonful of spinach mixture, then sprinkle with about a teaspoon of breadcrumbs.
• Bake in a 400F oven for about 10 minutes, until just cooked through.
• Serve immediately

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Notes

It’s traditional to bake these on a bed of coarse salt. I might do this if I were
serving guests. But for family I think the shells sit just fine on in a 9 x 13 baking
pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 9gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 1638mgPotassium: 458mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 6089IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 216mgIron: 3mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Updated from the original published on Apr 26, 2015

• ← Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette