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Poached oysters with dill-pickled cucumber

Adam Byatt from Market Kitchen
Impress guests with Adam Byatt's super-trendy starter, served with foamed oyster sauce

Poached oysters with dill-pickled cucumber

Method

1. Cut the cucumber into thin strings using a mandolin. Mix with the dill, plenty of salt and pepper, sugar and vinegar in a bowl and leave to pickle for I hour. Transfer to a colander - the salt will help to draw out the liquid and it will drain away.

2. Heat the butter in a frying pan and gently sweat the shallots without colouring. Add 100ml of the champagne and the thyme and reduce by half. Stir in the fish stock and reduce by half again. Stir in the cream and lemon juice.

3. Open the oysters, reserving the juices. Scrape the oysters and juices into a small pan. Wash the shells and put them in a cool oven to warm through slightly.

4. Add the remaining champagne to the oyster pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat.

5. Spoon the oyster juices into the cream sauce and strain through a sieve.

6. Twist the pickled cucumber strings around a fork and put some in each oyster shell. Pop a poached oyster on top. Foam the sauce using a siphon and use to dress the oysters. Serve.

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Serves: 2, as a starter

Prep: 15 min, plus 1 hr for pickling
Cook: 20 min

Ingredients
1 Cucumber, cut into matchsticks
small bunch of Dill, chopped
1 tsp Sugar
20ml white wine vinegar
knob of Butter
2 large Shallots, sliced
150ml Champagne
2 sprigs Thyme
100ml fish stock
100ml whipping Cream
1/2 lemon, juice only
12 Fine de Claire Oysters