Wrapped Oyster Fritters with Apple-Mint Chutney and Passion Fruit
Wine recommendations: Since this is a recipe from South Africa, a cooler-climate South African Chardonnay, which has a pebbly, mineral character, will work well with it. Hirschowitz suggests Hamilton Russell Chardonnay, Rijks 2003 Private Cellar Chardonnay or Nederburg 2004 Chardonnay. White Burgundy, especially a more steely Chablis such as Simmonet-Fevre 2004 Premier Cru Chablis Vaillons, with just a touch of wood, also pairs well.
- For the apple-mint chutney:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Mrs. Balls Chutney (you can substitute a peach-type chutney)
- 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
- 1 small red chili, deseeded and finely diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped
- For the passion fruit sauce:
- 1/4 cup passion fruit juice (you can
- substitute guava or pineapple)
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 or 5 black peppercorns
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter, chilled and diced
- For the batter:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Enough milk to make batter
- Extra flour for dipping
- For the oysters:
- 20 fresh oysters, shucked, shells reserved
- 4 ounces smoked trout, sliced (you can substitute smoked salmon)
- Lard, olive oil or peanut oil for frying
To make the apple mint chutney: Heat oil in a pan and cook onions slowly until soft. Add all the other ingredients and let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Keep warm.
To make the passion fruit sauce: Place passion fruit juice, wine, onions, bay leaf and peppercorns in a small saucepan and reduce by two-thirds. Add cream and reduce another two-thirds. Then strain into a bowl, whisk in butter and keep at room temperature.
To make the oysters: Mix all the batter ingredients together, adding milk to thicken the batter for coating. Wrap 1 oyster in a strip of trout; dredge in the flour and then in the batter. Fry in small batches, keeping the oil hot, until golden brown.
To serve: Place a small amount of warm chutney in the oyster shell (or other shells available at cooking stores). Place a fried oyster on the chutney and top with passion fruit sauce, garnish and serve.
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