Equipment and preparation: You will need a mandolin slicer.
Ingredients
For the beetroot mayonnaise
- 1 cooked beetroot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 medium free-range egg yolk
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
- 1 celery heart, grated on a mandolin, leaves reserved
- 100g/3½oz lamb’s lettuce
- 100g/3½oz beet salad leaves
- dash olive oil
- 1 lemon, juice only
For the oysters
- 6 medium oysters
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 medium free-range egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
- dash olive oil
- knob of butter
Method
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For the beetroot mayonnaise, blend the beetroot with the mustard, egg yolk and vinegar in a food processor, gradually adding the oil to make a purée. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
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For the salad, toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl and season.
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Open the oyster shells using a shucker. Loosen each oyster from the base and discard the shell. Dry the oysters on kitchen paper.
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Put the flour and egg in separate shallow bowls. Combine the breadcrumbs and coconut in a third bowl. One at a time, dip the oysters in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumb mix, coating liberally.
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Fry the oysters immediately in a little oil and butter over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until golden.
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To serve, dot the beetroot mayonnaise across two serving plates, place the salad in the centre with the oysters around the edge.