August is the month to have “a shucking good time” as the Morrison Oyster Festival kicks off with a tantalising line-up of events, including a daily $1 oyster hour, shucking classes and an oyster and wine dinner.
Presented by The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room and chef Sean Connolly, the month-long festival celebrates Australia’s best oyster producers and showcases varieties from over six regions. At the media launch, guests were treated to a sampler of some of the best the festival has to offer in celebration of these bivalve molluscs.
The Morrison Oyster Festival
Shaken or Stirred, you can’t go past the sensational Oyster Dry Martini ($19). It’s a take on the Dirty Martini made with Belvedere Vodka and the brine of the oyster in lieu of an olive.
Oyster Dry Martini
This is a dry style of Martini that starts with a subtle flavour and builds up with the briny and delicious liquor from the oyster as you sip, leaving you with a vodka-infused oyster to enjoy at the end.
Chef Sean Connolly (left) and Ben Ralston (middle)
Ben Ralston, a fifth generation oyster farmer from Ralston Brothers Oysters in Batemans Bay demonstrated the art of shucking oysters and retaining the best part of the bivalve, the natural juices.
Oyster Shucking
The oyster farm is located on the Clyde River, known to be “the cleanest river on the entire East Coast of Australia” due to being free from polluting industries and major farms.
Shuck Me Silly, or oyster shucking classes ($69 per person) will be held on Tuesday 6 and 20 August, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm with 12 oysters matched with champagne, cocktail, wine and oyster stout.
Ralston Brothers Oysters
Freshly-shucked Ralston Brothers Oysters were served with champagne. They tasted of the sea, vegetal and briny with a hint of creaminess.
Poached Jurassic Pacific Oyster
Poached Jurassic Pacific Oyster was served in a spicy Chinese-style ginger soy broth with broccolini, a delicious combination that complements the natural flavour of the oyster. These giant Pacific oysters that are considered a pest are only 16 months old and can grow very quickly.
Carpetbag Steak
A delicious main course dish of Carpetbag Steak with Rock Oysters with Dijon mustard followed.
Carpetbag Steak
Wrapped in prosciutto, the meat was perfectly cooked at medium rare and served with watercress that was hand-picked on the day by chef Sean Connolly and his son. A serving of irresistible duck fat chips made a great accompaniment.
Oyster Shots
To finish, Oyster Shots ($10 each) were served with a choice of either Verdita (green) made with pineapple, coriander, jalapeno and mint or Sangrita (red), tomato, pomegranate and lemon. The oyster shot verdita was a little on the sweet and fruity side while the sangrita needed a little more kick to complement the saltiness of the oyster.
The Morrison Oysters festival is a great opportunity to have “a shucking good time” as taste, sip and learn. The $1 oyster hour every day is not to be missed, and if you’re a Martini fan, the Oyster Martini will be difficult to resist. Other festival events include Oyster Love-In with chef Sean Connolly & ‘The Cod Father’ John Susman ($99 per person) where the duo will host a dinner of four courses which includes a variety of oysters, matching wines and unravel the secrets of this well-known aphrodisiac.
The Morrison ♥ Oysters festival runs from Thursday 1 till Saturday 31 August 2013.
The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room
225 George Street
Sydney 2000
themorrison.com.au
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