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| Mombasa oysters |
Oyster recipes are not the first thing that springs to
mind in a repertoire of African recipes.
But actually they are used quite a lot- smoked oysters are a favorite in
West African dishes. Here are 2 really interesting recipes for oysters prepared
in a very African way.
Huitres Azi Dessi
Who’d
ever think to combine oysters ‘n peanut butter? In this dish
from Togo, a former French colony, crispy, fried oysters are served with a
spicy, unusual sauce with tomatoes, onions, a little smoked shrimp, and peanut.
Mussels, shrimp or langoustines pieces prepared in
this manner also go well with the sauce. Kenyan Mombasa oysters are also though to find their origin in a colonial
past. The Oysters are shucked on the half shell, and then quickly baked with a drizzling
of fragrant garlic wine reduction spiced with chilli and chopped coriander.
..mmmm.
Huitres Azi Dessi
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon palm oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red chilli
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1½ tablespoon chunky peanut butter
1 teaspoon ground smoked shrimp
24 plump fresh oysters in the shell
Vegetable oil for frying
50 g whole wheat flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
lemon wedges to serve
Method: First make the sauce. Heat the palm oil in a
pan and cook the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger over medium heat for a few
minutes. Add the tomato and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the peanut
butter. And cook for a minute or two. Sir in a few tablespoons of water if too
thick. Stir in the ground smoked
shrimp just before serving and season to taste.
For the oysters- Shuck the oysters, remove them from
the shell and drain in a sieve.
Heat the oil to fry the oysters. Season the flour with salt, pepper and
cayenne and toss the oysters in the flour to coat completely. Fry the oysters until
they are golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve the azi dessi
sauce in a cleaned oyster shell with the fried oysters and wedges of lemon.
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| Huites Azi Dessi |
