Salt Air Margarita Oysters for Valentine’s Day
You haven’t had oysters like this before…
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, people…do you have big plans? Are you coming to one of my restaurants (if you live in the New York area, you can actually have a whole evening at the Ritz-Carlton NoMad, starting with a champagne toast at Nubeluz and ending with dinner at Bazaar!)? We’re creating a lot of Valentine’s specials, so if you need any last-minute inspiration, we’d love to see you.
If you’re planning to spend Valentine’s at home, I have the perfect starter for you. Who loves oysters? It’s no secret that I do—I love them by themselves, right out of the water, and I also love them all dressed up! They are the perfect bite of the sea…sweet, plump and briny…and you can turn them into anything you want. Today, we’ll turn them into margaritas!
This recipe is from the head chef at China Poblano, Carlos Cruz, and he’s running it as a special for Valentine’s Day! In Mexico, oysters are often served as tapas with limes and hot sauce, paired with shots. This is our version of an oyster shooter, with a margarita built right on top! They are inspired by the salt air margarita at Oyamel, which features a cloud of “salt air” on top of the drink—and you can make this amazing creation in your own kitchen. You just need Sucro, which is an emulsifier that you can find online.
Find the freshest oysters possible at your local fishmonger—we are in the middle of oyster season, after all. And if you’ve never opened one before, here is a (very) old video of me showing the former Editor-in-Chief of Food and Wine, Dana Cowin, how to open them. You might want to buy a couple extra oysters to practice on before you make this dish.
These perfect little bites of the sea will transport you to a beach in Mexico which, let’s be honest, is where many of us would like to be right now. Let me know how it goes, and happy Valentine’s Day to you!
Oysters Margarita
Serves 2 as a first course