Oysters Rockefeller – Cleaning, Shucking and the Recipe

The Best Oysters are Rockefeller

Oysters Rockefeller are a great way to kick off any celebration. New Orleans Mardi Gras is certainly no exception. And as you may or may not know, the original recipe was developed in the French Quarter at local restaurant called Antoine’s back in the 1800’s. This recipe has since gone platinum. And you as you can see in the picture below, they are fairly inexpensive to buy and with this recipe, they certainly live up to their name, “Rockefeller”. I think I paid about 58 cents a piece is all and the results were spectacularly “Rich”.

What kind of Oysters do you have?

These are West Coast Oysters. You can tell they aren’t from the East Coast because of the Greenish color, instead of brown, and they’re a bit more long gated as well. They should always be scrubbed and rinsed before shucking. This will help eliminate any grime getting into the shell. Personally, I like to rinse them out after anyway. But some folks will freak out if you drain the “liquor” from the oyster before serving because there’s so much flavor there. But for Oysters Rockefeller, there is so much flavor added to it through out the recipe, in my opinion, it really doesn’t matter. The important thing is that no one breaks a tooth trying to eat them.

Shucking Oysters

I’ll show you, in the video below, how to properly shuck these things and lay them out on the half shell. There’s really nothing to it once you learn the tricks. But it’s important to lay them down on something that will keep them stable so they don’t teeter back and forth. Some people, restaurants included, press the round shell backs down into Rock salt, and that’s great for serving but I just use cup cake pans to keep them from moving and it works great for broiling.

Oysters Rockefeller

To make this recipe, you need a few key ingredients but the main thing is to make it green like money. As the story goes, when this recipe was created, someone in the restaurant exclaimed that these Oysters were as rich as Rockefeller. Others think it has to do with the color of money itself. Either way, the name stuck and now the world can enjoy them for any occasion.

If you’re interested in other Cajun recipes and food celebrated in New Orleans and at Mardi Gras, check out my Boudin, Crawfish Etouffee and my Jambalaya!

Oysters Rockefeller Ingredients:

1 doz Med/Lrg Oysters
2 cloves Garlic, ground
1 Green Onion, ground
1 sprig of Fresh Parsly
4 oz Baby Green Spinach
2 tbsp White wine, can sub ice water or white grape juice
1 stick of melted butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp Crab Boil or Crawfish Seasoning (Old Bay is fine)
1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp Basalmic Vinager
1/3 cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Bread Crumbs, optional

Be sure to watch the full Oysters Rockefeller Video Tutorial so you can see, step by step, exactly how to make them from scratch.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken

The Best Garlic Parmesan Chicken Recipe

This Garlic Parmesan Chicken recipe is very simple and delicious. It can be made with white or dark meat, breaded or bare, pan fried or baked. It’s entirely up to you. This recipe is even good over wings and chicken legs if you’re just looking for a side dish. The point is, Garlic Parmesan Chicken is so versatile it can practically be done anyway you want to cook it. I even use these exact same ingredients over Brussels Sprouts, it’s that good.

The way I like Garlic Parmesan Chicken

My personal favorite way to cook this recipe is with chicken thigh meat cut into small pieces. In fact, that’s how I like my Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. Cooking the chicken this way just adds so much more depth to the pasta and sauce. So I highly recommend you add your Garlic Parmesan Chicken to your favorite noodles. You can check out my Alfredo recipe HERE if you’d like. Of course when I say “my” I mean The Olive Gardens! 😉

If you’re interested in other chicken recipes be sure to check out my Jamaican Jerk Chicken and my Blackened Chicken Alfredo or look over this Chicken Recipes Playlist for more options.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Ingredients:

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
2 tbsp Olive Oil
6 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 tbsp Salted Butter (optional)
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

The instructions in my Garlic Parmesan Chicken video recipe tutorial is very easy to follow. However, I don’t use any butter in the cooking, though it’s clearly in the ingredients as an option. I do this for health reasons. For me the Olive Oil is enough but the added butter does make this dish taste even better. So consider adding it if it’s something you would normally do to make your Garlic Parmesan Chicken perfect.

Roast Duck – Seasoned and Stuffed

This Roast Duck is Fantastic

Here’s a Roast Duck recipe that I would highly recommend. It’s very easy to prepare and the taste is out of this world. I stuff the duck with a wonderful array of aromatic flavors that completely permeates the breast from the inside out when it marinates and bakes and I Salt the outside with Kosher and Smoked Paprika, leaving you with an irresistible taste and an unforgettable experience.

Cantonese Roast Duck

If you are looking for more of an Oriental Style recipe, like a Cantonese or Peking Duck recipe, just follow my Cantonese Chicken recipe. It’s the exact same recipe that P.F. Chang’s uses on their Cantonese Duck and Chicken recipes. I also have recipes for Beer Can Chicken, a Tin Can Chicken Brine and a tutorial to teach you How to Carve Whole Poultry.

In the meantime, take a look at this Roast Duck recipe and the video tutorial I’ve prepared for you down below and be sure to comment and share with your friends.

Roast Duck Ingredients:

1 Duck, at room temperature

Filling
1 tbsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Ground Sage
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
1 Bunch Green Onion

Rub & Basting
1 tsp White Vinegar
1 tsp Honey

1 tbsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Bake at 350 degrees f. for 1 hour and 30 minutes and your Roast Duck will be perfect.