Sriracha Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters

Okay, so the glassware doesn't work.  I find that one of the biggest problem with rental properties is the lack of adequate glassware.  That problem became very obvious when I decided to make oyster shooters while on vacation.  My beautiful family and I rented a place in the Outer Banks, right on the shore.   It was the perfect location.  A couple of miles from my favorite local seafood source.  (That is another blog post.)  A couple of blocks from a great little seafood market, the Austin Fish Company. 

I paid a visit to that market with my father-in-law, and, we walked away with 100 medium neck clams (still another blog post), and a pint of oysters.  The oysters came from Virginia, which was a little of a surprise.  After a couple long walks on the beach, I came across a lot of oyster shells, including some very large ones.  Still, Virginia is close enough to be local for me.  With oysters in hand, we headed back to the rental house to prepare the oyster shooters.  

As for the particular type of shooter, I had a couple things to work with ... Bloody Mary mix and Sriracha.  Combine those two ingredients together and one gets Sriracha Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters.  However, as I noted before, the rental house did not have any shot glasses.  The rental house was a block from a Brew-Thru, which had shot glasses.  Those shot glasses are great for vodka by itself, but they they didn't seem like good ones for an oyster shooter.  (In fact, they are not good oyster shot glasses. They were single shot glasses and you need at least a double shot glass to fit the oyster and the liquid.)  All I had left were round bottomed glasses, which are probably better suited for water or used as a tumbler glass for wine.  

All of this got me to thinking, what would make a good oyster shooter glass.  Clearly, an ordinary shot glass will not work.  I have my doubts that a double shot glass cold really work.   My three prior attempts at oyster shooters -- Oyster Shooters with Tomato, Limes and Chiles, Mexican Oyster Shooters and Andalusian Style Oyster Shooters -- have left me with one firm conclusion ... the best glassware for oyster shooters are the glasses you get from brewery taprooms after doing a tasting.  The glasses are usually hold about five ounces, which is good to hold one (or two) oysters plus the liquid.  All of the prior photos of oyster shooters have used glasses from breweries.  Maybe I just need to visit a few more taprooms that offer souvenir glasses for those who take a tour or order samples.  If I do it enough, maybe I'll eventually have enough glasses for a dozen oyster shooters.  To top it off, I'll come up with an oyster-beer shooter.  The circle will be complete.  

SRIRACHA BLOODY MARY OYSTER SHOOTERS

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves many

Ingredients:

2 cups Bloody Mary mix

1 pint of oysters

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons of Sriracha sauce

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 bunch of scallions, white parts and green parts thinly sliced

Minced cilantro or celery leaves for garnish

Directions:
Pour the Bloody Mary mix into a large bowl.  Mix in the lemon juice, lime juice, horseradish and Sriracha sauce.  Add the white portions of the scallions and mix.  Pour 2 tablespoons of the mix into a shooter glass, add 1 to 2 oysters, and garnish with the green parts of the scallions and cilantro (or celery).

ENJOY!

Spicy Sriracha Chicken Wings

Few people have probably ever heard of Huy Fong.  Until I wrote this blog post, the name did not mean much to me, even though I encountered Huy Fong almost every day.  Huy Fong is the name behind Sriracha, a hot sauce made with a paste of chile peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. 

The name, "Sriracha," comes from the city of Si Racha, which is located in Chonburi province of Thailand.  Chile pastes are a common ingredient in that region, although they differ from Huy Fong's sauce.  Indeed, the Sriracha, with the rooster on the label and the green top, transcends the Chonburi province and reaches across the globe ... a fact reinforced by the instructions on the back of every bottle, which are written in Vietnamese, Chinese, English, Spanish and French.

According to Food & Wine, Sriracha Sauce is one of Michael Symon's favorites.   Chef Symon is one of the chefs that I follow, because of his creativity with his dishes, not just as an Iron Chef, but also with respect to the dishes that he serves at his restaurants in Cleveland, such as Lola and Lolita.  When I came across this recipe, I decided to include it in a menu for a Super Bowl Party. 

SPICY SRIRACHA CHICKEN WINGS

A recipe from Michael Symon, available at Food & Wine

Serves 10

Ingredients:

10 pounds of chicken wings, split

1/4 cup of coriander seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of kosher salt

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup Sriracha chile sauce
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Finely grated zest and juice of 3 limes

3 quarts of vegetable oil (only if frying)

Directions:

1.  Marinate the wings.  In a very large bowl, toss the wings with the coriander and cumin seeds, cinnamon, kosher salt and olive oil.  Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

2.  Roast the wings.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spread the wings on 3 large rimmed baking sheets for about thirty minutes. If you do not want to fry the wings, you can continue to roast them for about one hour longer, until the wings are crispy and golden.

3.  Prepare the sauce. Add the Sriracha, butter, cilantro lime zest and juice to a bowl or sauce pan.  

4.  Fry the wings (optional).   In a deep fryer or saucepan, heat the vegetable oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Fry the wings in 4 or five batches until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per patch.  Drain, shaking off the excess oil.  As each batch is finished, add the wings to the sauce and toss well.  Transfer the wings to the platter, leaving the sauce in the bowl for remaining batches.  Serve hot. 

Although I do not find Sriracha to be very spicy (it is certainly less spicy than Tabasco), this sauce had a good kick to it.  I should add that the sauce recipe did not cover the full ten pounds of wings.  The next time, I think I'll make a double batch of the sauce.  Overall, this is a great recipe and it was well received.

PAIRING THIS RECIPE

When it comes to pairing anything that is spicy, usually a lighter beer or wine is recommended.  Food & Wine recommmded a "crisp, lager beer," such as Great Lakes Brewing Company's Dortmunder Gold.  Great Lakes Brewing Company is based in Cleveland, Ohio, making it a good pairing for a recipe by a chef who also hails from Cleveland.  I would also recommend any pilsner beer, such as:

Great Lakes Brewing Company -- The Wright Pils
Pilsner Beer
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Flowery bouquet, slight hop flavor

If you are looking for a wine, a light, fruity white wine works well with moderately spicy foods.  A wine such as Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris could pair with this dish, as well as a Vinho Verde from Portgual, such as:

Opala -- Vinho Verde (2009)

Blend of grapes

Rias Biaxas, Portugal

Flavors of Granny Smith apples and pears

ENJOY!