Baked oysters with lemongrass and watercress

Preparation

• Blanch the watercress in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 2 minutes so that it is still bright green. Drain and rinse in cold water until completely cool, then squeeze to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Chop finely.
• Combine the cream, lemongrass, ginger, hot sauce and fish sauce in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Cook for about 25 minutes to reduce the total amount to 300 ml. Strain the sauce through a sieve.
• Add the watercress, spring onion and coriander. Season to taste and add salt and/or pepper if necessary. Cook for about 2 minutes to warm the greens, then reduce the heat to low to keep the mixture warm.
• Prepare a bed of crumpled aluminum foil on a baking sheet for the oysters to prevent them from tipping over during baking.
• Open the oysters using an oyster opener and place them on their half shells next to each other on the crumpled foil. This can be done up to one hour in advance.
• Preheat the oven to 260 °C.
• Spread a bed of coarse salt about 1 cm thick on the serving plates.
• Roast the oysters on the baking tray on the lowest shelf of the oven for 7-10 minutes until their juices are bubbling and their edges are starting to curl.
• Using a towel, place 4 oysters on each plate - the coarse salt will hold them in a horizontal position. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the watercress cream onto each oyster. Serve with spoons and forks.