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POKE AND SOME DELICIOUS VARIATIONS

Posted: April 23, 2025 in Food, Recipes, seafood, Uncategorized
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When I gain some weight and need to go back on the diet, one of the major changes in my eating habits is to incorporate more seafood and less meat into my meals. Seafood has a lot more protein and fewer calories. In fact, shrimp, lobster and oysters are some of the most delicious low-calorie foods you can enjoy, running about 1 calorie per gram. It’s what you add to them–oils, melted butter, batter–that make them high in calories.

I’ve always loved sushi, but again, on a diet, I need to limit my intake of unnecessary calories, and rice is on that list. I’ve found that I can use a lot less rice, or maybe none at all, when I make poke…and I get all the satisfaction of sushi or sashimi.

My two favorite fishes to eat raw are ahi tuna and wild-caught Alaskan salmon, like sockeye. There are many great purveyors of this super-high quality seafood online, and I usually buy a decent amount of fish at one time–hermetically sealed and frozen in 4-ounce packages–to last me a long time. (The price is often much better when you buy in quantity, because they have to be shipped frozen overnight.)

Yes, please.

 

There are many ways to prepare poke, and the only limitations are what’s in your fridge. The first recipe, using salmon, is closer to a traditional poke recipe you’d find in a restaurant.

 

6.5 ounces wild-caught Alaskan salmon, in the refrigerator (thawed, if previously frozen)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped raw cashews
1 scallion, green and white parts finely chopped

Keep the thawed salmon in the refrigerator. Remove the salmon from the fridge, and remove the skin if it is still on the fish. Cut the fish into half-inch cubes. I like to place the salmon cubes on a clean paper towel to absorb excess moisture from thawing. Then I place the salmon cubes in a bowl and put it back in the fridge while I combine the other ingredients.

In another bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and lemon juice. Whisk them together.

Chop the cashews and add them to the bowl, mixing them in.

Cut the root ends off the scallions, chop the green and white parts finely, and add them to the bowl, mixing them in.

Add the salmon to the bowl, mixing gently, so that you don’t damage the fish.
Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, if you can wait that long, and then: eat!
My tuna poke recipes have also used similar ingredients…
More recently, I mixed up a batch of what I call my “Asian Mix,” a blend of five Asian flavors that really work well together: soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. I let my tuna or salmon marinate in this mix for about ten minutes before adding the other ingredients and feasting.

Tuna poke with lettuce, onion, pine nuts, black and white sesame seeds, rice and my “Asian Mix.”

But my proudest achievement was taking my favorite sandwich from my home town of New York, and making it into a bowl. The sandwich is an everything bagel with salmon and cream cheese, and my poke version uses just a bit of the bagel, yet you still get the flavor without all the calories. The secret is a seasoning you can buy already prepared.
3 oz. wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon, cubed
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 small Vidalia or sweet onion, sliced very thin
1/2 tomato, seeds removed, sliced thin
1/4 of a toasted plain bagel
1 tablespoon cream cheese
2 teaspoons Everything Bagel seasoning
1 chopped hard boiled egg
Cut the salmon into small 1/2″ cubes and place it in a bowl. Add the tablespoon of capers (including some of the brine), chopped onion and tomato. Mix gently.
Toast the bagel and use only 1/4 of it (I use that little for the sake of calories. But you can use more, if you like!) Spread the tablespoon of cream cheese on the toasted bagel, then carefully chop it up into small cubes. Add this to the bowl. Sprinkle in the Everything Bagel seasoning and the chopped hard-boiled egg, and give it all one last gentle toss.
Then take a forkful, close your eyes, and imagine you’re in your favorite New York deli!

ONE TON OF WONTON

Posted: April 20, 2025 in Uncategorized
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I love wonton soup. So every once in a while, I make my own version of it in large batches at home. The great thing about wonton soup is you can put whatever you want in it. After all, it’s your recipe.

I use whatever homemade stock I happen to have in the freezer. I’ll go out and buy some veggies, but I also use whatever veggies I might happen to have in the fridge that need to be used up. And I use a LOT of them.

I always have Asian spices and seasonings in the fridge or on the shelf, so that’s never a problem. And then it’s a matter of meat or seafood, or in this case, a little bit of both.

I had homemade chicken and pork stock in the freezer, so those went into the pot. I had a couple of pork chops in the freezer, so I decided to use those. I also had some frozen shrimp. And my cheat is frozen chicken dumplings, which add great flavor and pasta to the soup.

I found these at my local store, but any dumplings you like will work.

There are no exact measurements for this, because it really is based on what you have, how much you want to make, and what flavors you like. But this is the basic rundown of how I made my last batch…

16 ounces homemade chicken stock
8 ounces homemade pork stock
24 ounces water
2 medium onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 medium head of broccoli, chopped
1/2 head of a medium cabbage, finely sliced
2 6-ounce boneless pork chops
soy sauce
hoisin sauce
Chinese garlic sauce
rice vinegar
sesame oil
oyster sauce
frozen peeled and deveined wild-caught American shrimp
frozen chicken and vegetable dumplings

I thawed the chicken and pork stock and poured it into a large pot along with the water. I put it on high heat.

I diced the onions and the carrots and put them in the pot. I chopped the broccoli and put it into the pot. I prefer to slice the cabbage thinly with a knife, so that it still retains some texture. I put that into the pot.

I let the pot come to a boil and let it roll until the veggies started to get tender.

Meanwhile, I thinly sliced the two pork chops into strips and placed them in a bowl. I added the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili, garlic sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to the pork and tossed it around it to marinate.

While the veggies were boiling, in a frying pan, I added some oil and stir-fried the marinated pork. Once it was nice and caramelized, I poured it into the pot with the veggies.

It’s very easy to overdo the salt with this recipe, so I seasoned as I went, adding a little more soy sauce, hoisin, and oyster sauce, tasting all the time.

Once the veggies became tender, but still had a bite to them, and the liquid in the pot had reduced a bit, the soup was officially done. It was at this point that I decided what else I wanted to add to it.

For this particular meal, I decided I wanted the shrimp and the dumplings. So I took a handful of frozen shrimp, cutting them into smaller pieces, and put them in the bottom of a sauce pan. I also took about a dozen of the frozen dumplings and added them to the same sauce pan.

Because there is a lot of soup in the large pot, I ladled out the amount I wanted into the sauce pan with the frozen shrimp and dumplings, and brought all it to a boil over high heat. The dumplings cooked in just a few minutes, and the shrimp even more quickly than that. The soup was done.

Because the dumplings cook so quickly, as does the shrimp, I chose not to add them to the large pot, because reheating the soup would make all of that mushy. When I reheat the soup, I can add new batches of dumplings and shrimp, so that they are perfectly tender and flavorful. (Or simply leave them out altogether, depending on my mood.)

I put some of the leftover soup in containers to freeze, and some in the fridge to enjoy the next day, reheating it with whatever ingredients I chose the next time.

BLUEBERRY NEGRONI

Posted: April 18, 2025 in Uncategorized
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I recently read a recipe where a chef infused blueberries in gin for a barbecue sauce. As interesting as that was, I thought it would also be interesting to use that infused gin in a Negroni, and I was right! The blueberries round the drink out and don’t overpower the drink.

I used frozen wild blueberries for this, because the farmed ones just don’t have the flavor.

I used Bluecoat American Dry Gin for this recipe, because that’s what I had! I don’t think you need to spend big bucks on a fancy gin for this recipe. Another excellent choice would be a somewhat neutral gin, like Ford’s gin, from England.

16 ounces gin, your favorite brand
1/4 cup frozen blueberries

I poured the gin into the mason jar, and added the blueberries. I let the flavors infuse for several hours at room temperature. Then I strained the blueberries out of the gin.
I put the blueberries in a sealed container in the freezer, where they got cold, but didn’t freeze solid. I skewered them as a garnish for the drink. (Of course, if you want, you can just eat them!) I keep the gin in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.

For my Negroni, I don’t use the standard 1-1-1 ratio, because I want a real drink!

3 ounces blueberry infused gin
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth, preferably Antica Formula or Cocchi

Combine the ingredients over ice, and stir well.

Get a rocks glass, and put a big cube in it. Strain the Negroni into the glass with the big cube. Skewer as many blueberries from the infusion as you like to top the drink off.

NEPTUNE OYSTER, BOSTON

Posted: April 16, 2025 in Uncategorized
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If you’re a fan of movies based in Boston, you’ve probably seen Neptune Oyster and didn’t even know it. This landmark in Boston’s North End has been featured in films like “The Town,” “The Equalizer,” “Good Will Hunting,” “The Departed,” and many more.

My friend, John, who lives in the Boston area and knows the town, suggested we go there recently to enjoy some incredible seafood. And incredible, it was. Sure, we stood on line for over an hour outside, since they don’t take reservations, but once we were inside, it was worth it.

We had oysters, crudo, lobster cocktail, and lobster pasta, along with some craft beers for John and Txakoli, a wonderful refreshing white wine from the Basque region of Spain, for me.


Great food and drink, lively conversation, and atmosphere that was buzzing right up until closing time, made for a great night! This is one place to return to!

ASIAN-STYLE PORK CHUNX

Posted: April 12, 2025 in Uncategorized
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These delicious “chunx” of pork are full of fantastic Asian flavors and go great with broccoli and rice…or just by themselves. Plus, I used inexpensive boneless pork sparerib meat, which saves a few bucks.

3 pounds boneless pork ribs
1/2 a large onion, diced
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese chili garlic sauce
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup maple syrup
4 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade

This recipe is similar to my Asian bacon recipe, only it uses a cheaper, easier to find, cut of pork: boneless sparerib meat. You can usually find packages of this meat in a 3-pound size at most supermarkets.

The rib meat is fatty, however, and often has some gristle. So I trim as much of that away as I can to keep the tasty bites tender. 

I cut the pork into 1-inch cubes, and toss them in a bowl with the diced onion. I add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and Chinese chili garlic sauce to the bowl and mix everything really well.

I will let the pork marinate for 2 hours at room temperature, remixing every half-hour or so. (If the pork needs to stay out longer, I put it in the refrigerator, bringing it back to room temperature when I’m ready to cook.)

I preheat the oven to 350°.

I line a baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil and place the pork and onion pieces on it in a single layer, reserving any leftover marinade for later.

I bake the pork and onions for 30 minutes.

While the pork is in the oven, I get a large pot and place the lemon zest, lemon juice, star anise, cinnamon sticks, maple syrup, and chicken broth in the pot. I bring it to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer.

After the pork and onions have cooked for 30 minutes, I remove them from the baking pan and place them in the pot, pouring in all the juices that might be in the baking pan. At this point, I can add any leftover marinade into the pot as well.

Bringing the heat under the pot back on high, I continue cooking until the liquid in the pot starts reducing. As it reduces, I turn the heat down as well, so I don’t burn any sugars in the pot. I stir the pork pieces once in a while.

Soon, the liquid will be reduced to a glaze. I keep tossing the pork in that glaze until it looks nice and shiny and gooey and sticky. And that’s when they’re ready!

Serve the pork chunks immediately!

AIR-FRIED CAULIFLOWER WITH A SWEET AND SPICY GLAZE

Posted: April 9, 2025 in Uncategorized
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Somebody in marketing made a fortune when they took a product that had been around since 1945 (the convection oven), renamed it an “air fryer,” and sold millions of them. I still call my old oven a convection oven, but whatever you call yours, this recipe will work in it.

I love cauliflower roasted, boiled, baked–whatever–but my daughter does not. But when she had it air-fried at a restaurant, she suddenly fell in love with the stuff, and I knew it was time to make some at home.

Cutting a head of cauliflower into florets is an easy thing to do. But it’s even easier to buy a bag of cauliflower florets already cut up at a supermarket or membership warehouse.

If you want this recipe to be gluten-free, do what I do: buy a loaf of Udi’s frozen white bread, toast it in the oven, and then let it dry out a bit at room temperature. Place it in a food processor and whiz it up for larger crumbs. I like my breadcrumbs fine for this recipe, so I then move them to a blender and grind them fine.

Fine grind.
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2 large eggs
1 cup of breadcrumbs (I like them unseasoned and finely milled)
spray can of olive or avocado oil

There are many versions of sweet and spicy Asian-inspired sauces and glazes out there. Simply choose the one that has your favorite ingredients. This one works really well with the cauliflower.

4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine these ingredients in a saucepan and bring it up to a medium heat. When it comes to a boil, take it off the heat and let it cool. (I double this recipe simply because the sauce is so good, and I’ll want to put it on other things, like chicken.)

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Scramble the 2 eggs in a bowl.

Add the breadcrumbs to another bowl.

For the oven, set up a slotted metal tray to sit on a baking tray, so that there’s airflow underneath it. The cauliflower goes on the slotted tray, and the baking tray catches any breadcrumbs that may drop. Spray some oil on the slotted tray to keep things from sticking.

Take your cauliflower pieces and place them in batches in the egg, coating them completely. Then move them to the breadcrumb bowl, tossing them to get covered. Once they’re nicely coated, place them on the slotted tray. Do the same with the rest of the cauliflower.

Spray the cauliflower with the oil, and place them in the oven, baking for 30–45 minutes, depending on how cooked you like them.

I’ve seen restaurants that completely coat the cauliflower with the sauce, but I prefer to drizzle it on, with some extra on the side for dipping.

HOME-CURED SALMON GRAVLAX

Posted: April 6, 2025 in brining, curing, Food, Recipes, salt, seafood, Uncategorized
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I love salmon in all forms. If it’s high quality wild-caught Alaskan salmon, I love it pan-sautéed, raw (as in sashimi), smoked, or cured.

The best smoked salmon uses the gentle process of cold smoking. It’s something that the average homeowner can’t really do successfully, so I simply buy cold-smoked salmon when I crave it. I’ve made hot-smoked salmon at home with some success, but the fish is so delicate, you really have to keep an eye on it. It takes no time for a juicy, perfectly smoked piece of salmon to turn into a dry, overcooked hockey puck.

Curing, which is how you get Gravlax, is really quite simple. You just need to have enough patience to wait a few days before you can eat it.

There are many gravlax recipes out there.  Some use peppercorns, fennel, caraway, even Aquavit in the curing process.  My opinion is: if you’ve got a beautiful piece of fish, why mask the flavor of it? I go with the simplest recipe possible, featuring just 3 ingredients that cure the salmon: salt, sugar and fresh dill.

The first step, of course, is to get the right piece of salmon. What you want is that beautiful, vibrant, orange wild-caught Alaskan or Pacific salmon that costs more than you thought you were going to spend. Wild-caught means the salmon has eaten the foods it loves, a balanced diet consisting of bugs, fish, shrimp, and small invertebrates. A natural diet gives the meat of the fish that beautiful color and incredible flavor. What the salmon eats is very important because you are eating the salmon! Wild-caught salmon is high in Omega-3’s…the good fats.

 

A beautiful piece of wild-caught salmon laying on a bed of the cure.

 

I avoid Atlantic salmon at all costs. Unfortunately, most restaurants on the east coast serve Atlantic salmon because it’s less expensive. There’s a reason for that. Atlantic salmon is farmed in the USA, Canada and Europe, which means the fish are kept in crowded underwater pens and are fed food pellets that contain a number of nutrients and additives. Often, farmed fish are treated to prevent sea lice, and are given antibiotics to prevent diseases caused by their tight living quarters. They’re also given pellets to color the meat orange, because the natural color of farmed salmon is actually an unappetizing gray. When you buy Atlantic salmon in the fish store, you can spot it a mile away, because it’s got that weird zebra-striped orange and white, with a tinge of gray, and its flavor is bland and lifeless. Farmed salmon is much lower in Omega-3’s.

If it doesn’t say wild-caught Alaskan or Pacific salmon, it isn’t!

Previously frozen vs. fresh fish matters less than where it came from and how it was raised.

 

2 lbs. wild-caught salmon, skin on, pin bones removed
1/3 cup (50g) Kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
2/3 cup (160g) sugar
1 large bunch fresh dill, washed

If your fish monger hasn’t removed the pin bones from your salmon filet, you’ll need to get a pair of long-nose pliers and remove them. It’s not the worst thing in the world to leave them in there, but you really don’t want to be spitting bones out later.

The reason I mention that I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt is because all Kosher salt does not weigh the same. Morton Kosher salt, for example, is much heavier by volume, so it weighs more even though you’re using the same cup measurement. In the case of Diamond Crystal, 1/3 cup weighs 50g. Same rules apply to the sugar.  Go by the weight, not the cup measurement. This is really important point to keep in mind when you’re curing anything, fish or meat.

Get a non-reactive tray long enough to hold the salmon filet. I prefer glass.

Mix the salt and the sugar together, and sprinkle half of it evenly on the bottom of the tray. Lay the piece of salmon down on the cure, skin side down, and cover the top of the salmon with the rest of the cure evenly.

Lay the sprigs of dill on top of the cure, covering the entire piece of fish. It might look like overkill. It’s not.

 

 

Cover everything with several layers of plastic wrap, pushing it down and tucking it into the corners for a tight fit.

 

 

Find a flat board or something similar (I used a clear plastic tray) and lay it on top of the plastic wrap.

 

 

Add heavy weights on top to press down evenly on all surfaces. I used cans of tomatoes.

 

Side view.

 

Place the tray in the fridge for 48-72 hours.

After 24 hours, remove the plastic wrap and, tilting the tray, baste the dill-covered salmon with the brine juices that have formed. Put clean plastic wrap on top, add the weights, and put it all back in the fridge for another 24 hours. Repeat that process at the 48-hour mark, if needed. If it’s cured, it’s time to eat!

 

 

You’ll know the fish is fully cured when the thickest part of the filet is firm to the touch.

Unwrap the salmon, discarding the salt and sugar brine and the dill. Rinse the filet under cold running water and pat it dry with paper towels.

I don’t like a ton of chopped dill imbedded into my gravlax as some do, but if you do, finely chop a bunch of new fresh dill, spread it out onto a board, and press the salmon into it flesh-side down.

To serve, place the gravlax skin-side down on a board. With a long, sharp narrow-bladed knife, slice the fish against the grain, on the diagonal, into thin slices. Serve with mustard-dill sauce, chopped onion, capers, hard-boiled egg, bread…whatever you like.

Refrigerate any remaining gravlax immediately, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 weeks.

 

GIVING MASHED POTATOES THE CARBONARA TREATMENT

Posted: April 4, 2025 in Uncategorized
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It’s hard to improve on buttery, creamy mashed potatoes, but I think this recipe does just that. Like with pasta carbonara, you add pork, egg yolks, and Parmesan cheese to take this to another level.

The classic pasta carbonara uses guanciale, which is cured pork cheeks. Many recipes call for pancetta instead (which is the cured but unsmoked belly of the pig.) But since I cure my own guanciale, this was a no-brainer.

Egg yolks are stirred into the warm pasta in carbonara, and are cooked simply from the heat from the pasta. Here, I stir the egg yolks into the mashed potatoes, but then they go back in the oven to cook more.

And all too often, the phrase “Parmesan cheese” is used in recipes. That opens the floodgates to some truly horrendous cheeses, including the non-refrigerated stuff on the supermarket shelf that is 50% sawdust! There is only one King of Cheeses: Parmigiano Reggianio. Look for it, ask for it, pay the price. It’s worth every penny.

Parmigiano Reggiano
3 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
6 oz. guanciale, finely chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, brought to room temperature, separated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Bring them to a boil, and then cook them until they’re fork-tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them dry out a little, about 10 minutes. Then place the potatoes back in the pot.

Cook the guanciale in a non-stick pan over medium heat, stirring often, until the bits are golden brown and crispy. Transfer the cooked guanicale bits to paper towels to absorb the excess fat.

To the pot with the potatoes, add the cheese, the cream, the nutmeg (I always have whole nutmeg around to grate into my rum drinks!), 6 tablespoons of the butter, and some salt and pepper. Get out the old potato masher and mash away until the potatoes are smooth.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the whole egg and the 2 egg yolks, then add them to the pot with the potatoes, and stir until they are well combined.

Add in all but about 1 tablespoon of the guanciale, mixing well.

Grab your favorite baking dish, and pour in the mashed potatoes, smoothing them out to make them look nice. (We originally tried piping some of the potatoes with a pastry bag, but it kept getting clogged with the guanciale and we gave up!)

Didn’t work so well….
…but delicious anyway!

Sprinkle the remaining guanciale on top of the potatoes and place the baking dish in the oven.

Bake until the potatoes are golden around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Chop up the remaining 2 oz. of butter and scatter it over the top of the potatoes, letting the butter melt in while the potatoes cool.

“COPE” CHOPS: FEEDING HUNGRY DJs FOR ALMOST 4 DECADES!

Posted: April 2, 2025 in barbecue, CHARCOAL, Food, grilling, Recipes
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I just came back from a trip to my hometown of New York City, where I saw some old radio friends. It reminded me of this awesomely simple grilled pork chop that dates back to my early years in radio on Long Island.

“Cope” chops are the creation of my radio buddy, Marc Coppola, who can be heard from Cape Cod to California. Cope and I met at WBAB on Long Island back in the early 80’s. He had the afternoon drive shift, and I was on after him from 7 to midnight. After his show, Cope would remove a hibachi grill out of the trunk of his car, light some charcoal in the radio station parking lot, and he’d grill up the most amazing pork chops I’ve ever had. They were thin, but juicy and beautifully charred. He called ’em “Cope chops,” and we’d eat them by the stack, wrapping the hot bone of the chop with a paper towel, and then just chowing down. It’s a great memory, and one that I like to re-live by grilling Cope chops at home even today.

After four decades, I’m not sure if my Cope chop recipe is the same as the original, but they are damn good and incredibly easy to make.

Ironically, for this recipe, I don’t go all out and spend big money on thick, expensive pork chops. I want them thin, fatty and with the bone in. This is not a low-and-slow process: the secret to the success of these chops is to cook them hot and fast on a charcoal grill, sealing in the juices.

Thin-cut pork chops
Dry white wine (I use an unoaked inexpensive French chardonnay)
Lawry’s seasoned salt

Place the pork chops in a casserole dish or other flat dish with sides, and pour the wine over the top, making sure you cover the chops. Let them marinate for at least an hour at room temperature, flipping them over halfway through so that all sides get covered by the wine.

Light a hot hardwood charcoal fire.

Pour off the wine from the chops and discard it. Place the chops on the hot grill and season the top with the Lawry’s seasoned salt. Once they’ve charred nicely, flip the chops over and season the other side. Grill until the chops are cooked all the way through, but not dry. Serve them immediately.

The proper way to eat a Cope chop: wrap the bone in a paper towel and chow down!

OYSTERS ROCK-A-FELLOW

Posted: March 30, 2025 in Food, Recipes, restaurants, seafood
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My dog, Fellow, passed away last year. He almost made it to his 15th birthday, but he had a good, long life. He would always hang out in the kitchen while I cooked, so I decided to name this dish after him. Good boy.

The original Oysters Rockefeller recipe is a closely guarded secret, created in 1899 at the famous New Orleans restaurant Antoine’s. Jules Alciatore, the son of founder Antoine Alciatore, developed the dish when they had a shortage of escargot, substituting locally available oysters. Antoine’s is still the only place in the world where you can be served the original Oysters Rockefeller recipe.

Antoine’s is the oldest restaurant in New Orleans.

If you Google “Oysters Rockefeller,” you’ll find hundreds of recipes that claim to be the real thing, or close to it. But here’s the catch: most of them use spinach in the dish, and the folks at Antoine’s insist there was never any spinach used in the original recipe. So, before attempting my own version, I decided I would leave spinach out of my recipe…and I like it better that way.

The original Oysters Rockefeller served at Antoine’s. I have to say I wasn’t all that impressed with it.

My version, my Oysters Rock-a-Fellow, is cheesier and gooier than the original. I use large, meatie oysters like Wellfleets from Cape Cod or local Rhode Island oysters. And, as you’ll see below, I can make the cheese portion of this dish the day before, saving myself a lot of time on the day I want to serve it.

So, if you’re doing this the day of…start here. If you’re doing it the day before, start with the cheese mix below, then come back to the oysters the next day.

24 oysters, washed to remove grit

Scrub the oysters under cold water to get them clean.

Here’s how I make opening the oysters easier. (Plus the hot water cleans the oyster shells nicely.)

In a large pot, pour in enough cold water to fill the pot about halfway. Turn the heat on high and bring the pot to a boil.

The moment you reach a boil, turn the heat to medium and drop in 6 oysters, letting them bathe in the liquid for only 30 seconds. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl to cool. If the oysters open, they’ve been in there too long! You want them to stay closed. Do the same with the rest of the oysters, 6 at a time. Once all the oysters have had their 30 seconds, move the oyster bowl to a cutting board. Discard the liquid in the pot.

Pour Kosher salt onto a large sheet pan lined with foil.

Once the oysters have cooled enough for you to handle, carefully remove the top shell off each one (there are plenty of videos on You Tube to show you how this is done if you need help), discarding it, and lay the oysters on the bed of salt in the sheet pan, trying not to spill any of the precious oyster liquor inside. The salt holds the oysters in place.

Salt holds the oysters perfectly in place.

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup low-fat milk
salt and pepper
3 cups (tightly packed) fresh arugula, finely chopped, about a 5 oz. container
6 oz. mild cheddar cheese (the white one), grated
6 oz. mozzarella, grated
Fine bread crumbs (Using GF breadcrumbs will keep this dish gluten-free)

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and then add the onion and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent.

Add the milk, season with salt and pepper, and then add the arugula a little at a time, letting it wilt before adding more. Use all the arugula.

Once all the arugula is in the saucepan, sprinkle the cheese in a bit at a time, letting it melt, until you’ve used all the cheese: the cheddar and then the mozzarella.

Pour the gooey cheese mix into a lasagna pan, smooth it out with a spatula, and place it in the fridge to cool.

You can do this all the day before, because the cheese mix hardens and becomes easy to cut into cubes with a sharp knife.

Then simply place a cube of the cheese mix on each oyster…

…sprinkle a little bread crumb on top…

…and bake in the 425-degree oven for about 8–10 minutes until they’re golden and bubbly.

Whoever said that cheese and seafood don’t go together, never tried this!

This dish can be gluten-free if you use gluten-free breadcrumbs. I buy Udi’s gluten-free frozen bread for my breadcrumbs. I take the loaf, toast the slices, then put them through the food processor. The taste is far better than buying pre-made GF breadcrumbs. I use regular breadcrumbs if I don’t need to worry about gluten.

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