Chef - Andy McFadden

Ark of Taste Product - Fal Oyster

Producer - Chris Ranger

Andy created this oyster mouthful to mark our 100th Chef Alliance member. He combines Ranger's meaty shellfish with a fresh ceviche dressing and some crunchy quinoa for added texture - fit for every celebration!

Method:

– Make the ceviche dressing by mixing the lime juice, vegetable stock, sugar, salt, vinegar & olive oil together. Adjust the sweet and sour balance, adding a little extra lime juice or sugar to taste.

– Cook the quinoa in boiling water until soft. Drain and dry. Set up a fryer (or heat oil in a large heavy based pan to 180°C) and fry the quinoa until golden brown. Remove, dry and season with salt.

– For the dill oil, blanch the herbs in boiling water for 10 seconds before refreshing in ice cold water. Squeeze dry and blend in a food processor with a little oil until smooth and a thin consistency. Leave to sit for 30 minutes before passing through a seive.

– Open the oysters as close to serving as possible. Spoon the marinade over & arrange the other elements on top as you like.

– It’s really important that it is served at room temperature so that you can appreciate the full flavour of the shellfish. Sprinkle with the crispy quinoa & grate the lemon over the dish. This gives a lovely perfume to the dish.

– Serve immediately!

The dressing ‘cooks’ the oyster so don’t dress more than five minutes before eating as it will turn it to mush.

Ingredients

Juice of 1-2 limes

4 tbsp vegetable stock

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1tsp lemon vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

Fresh herbs, finely chopped

8 Fal Oysters

2 fennel for confit

100g Black Quinoa

50g Pearl Quinoa

100g Crème Fraiche

1 bunch dill made into oil

Zest of 1 lemon