One of the things Tom misses most about not going out to eat, (besides the not going out part) is his favorite food - oysters. Taking out chargrilled oysters seems rather absurd, so it’s rare to find anyone doing it. We decided to do the next best thing and make Italian-style oysters a la Mosca right here. Oysters Mosca is among the best of the baked oyster dishes around town. Redolent with garlic, they exude the very essence of the concept of baking oysters in a dish. He also loves the oddly-named Oyster Pan Roast at Pascal’s Manale. Both of these are sort of old-fashioned dishes. Most baked oyster dishes tend to be hipper versions of Rockefeller or Bienville, and exotic versions of chargrilled.
But if you are stuck at home, nothing warms the heart like baking oysters in the oven with garlic and olive oil permeating the room.
We buttered and peppered some ciabatta slices and layered a small baking dish with oysters, a lot of coarsely chopped garlic, chopped parsley, and coated this generously with olive oil. Then we heavily sprinkled some Italian Seasoning and then plain breadcrumbs,(Italian-flavored bread crumbs would be better), and coated all of this with a layer of grated parmesan cheese.
Both of these baked separately in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. Tom poured a glass of Lacryma Christi Del Vesuvio and savored a return to “normalcy,” except the eating at home part.
Italian Baked Oysters
1 pint of oysters, drained
I pod of garlic chopped coarsely
½ cup chopped parsley
⅓ cup olive oil
1 T crushed red pepper
½ cup Italian breadcrumbs (or plain)
1T Italian Seasoning (if the bread crumbs are plain)
1 cup parmesan cheese
Layer ingredients in a small baking dish. Oysters, garlic, parsley, olive oil, crushed red pepper, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400 until breadcrumbs are toasty, and the mixture bubbles beneath.
