Grands Vins
de Bordeaux
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Oysters and Spicy Sausages from the
Happy Oyster Restaurant

"If you don't love life you can't enjoy an oyster; there is a shock of freshness
to it and intimations of the ages of man, some piercing intuition of the sea
and all its weeds and breezes.  [They] shiver you for a split second."
~ Eleanor Clark

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Cafe Bordeaux
Hartnett, Shawna
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Oyster Gatherers of Cancale
John Singer Sargent
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“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic
taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and
the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and
washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and
began to be happy, and to make plans.”
~ Ernest Hemingway, in “A Moveable Feast”

Oysters and Spicy Sausages from
the Happy Oyster Restaurant
(Huîtres et Saucisses L’Huître Joyeuse)


Bistro Cooking
by Patricia Wells, 1989, Workman Publishing Co., Inc.

“I had long heard of this traditional fisherman’s snack, oysters and spicy sausages washed down with white wine, but it took a trip to Bordeaux to find the real thing. Chef Francis Garcia – now of Le Chapon Fin – prepared these one cold wintry afternoon, and educated me on how to properly eat this welcoming combination: First, down a cool oyster, then take a bit of the sausage, and then a sip of chilled white wine. The sausage serves to soften the brininess of the oyster, leaving a
lovely blending of flavors lingering on the palate. It’s one of my very favorite
food and wine combinations, full of crisp, spicy flavors that wake up and keep
you going for hours!
You’ll find various versions of this dish: I’ve seen them with very spicy sausage patties, with sausage links, served hot and served cold. Although the dish goes by many names (the most common is huîtres à la charentaise) I decided to name these after the oyster festival I attended one August in the Atlantic coast oyster-growing village of Gujan-Mestras. The festival restaurant was called, fittingly, L’Huître Joyeuse, the Happy Oyster! Try this with a young, chilled whites Graves.”

Yield: 4 servings

1 dozen oysters, shells well scrubbed under cold running water, shucked
Crushed ice
8 ounces (250 g) bulk pork sausage meat
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1. Place the oysters on a plate of crushed ice. Arrange the oysters balancing them so they do not lose any of their liquid. Cover loosely with aluminum
foil and refrigerate. Remove the oysters 10 minutes before serving.
2. In a medium-size bowl, blend the sausage meat with the thyme, pepper flakes, and salt. Mix well with your hands to blend thoroughly.
3. Shape the pork mixture into 4 equal-size round patties about 1/2 inch
(1.5 cm) thick.
4. In a medium-size skillet, cook the patties over medium-high heat until golden brown on the outside and cooked all the way through, about 5
minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.
5. Serve the sausages immediately, accompanied by the oysters, slices of buttered, crisp-crusted bread, and chilled white wine.
 

 Featured Archive Recipe:
 Rice with Shellfish and Sausage
 

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