New Year's snacks: 3 types of oysters and sardines

Start New Year’s Eve with a small, well-chosen snack that sets the tone for the rest of the evening. When guests arrive, it’s nice to be able to offer something delicious right away — preferably served with the first glass of the night.

Here, we’ve put together our suggestions for elegant New Year’s snacks featuring sardines and three different types of oysters. It’s a simple, tasty start that leaves room for conversation, bubbles, and anticipation before dinner really gets underway.

Sardines with chilli, garlic and rosemary

The first snack we make consists of delicious sardine fillets marinated in salt, oil, and lemon juice, then coated with garlic, chilli, and rosemary.

Ingredients

• 1-2 tins of marinated sardines (available from well-stocked delicatessens)
• 1 clove of (fresh) garlic
• One mild chilli pepper
• One sprig of rosemary
• Fresh pepper
• Good quality extra virgin olive oil
• Half a lemon

Method

1. Place your sardine fillets on a platter.
2. Then cut some paper-thin slices of garlic and place one slice on top of each fillet.
3. Next, cut some thin slices of your chilli and place one on each sardine.
4. Pick some needles from your rosemary and scatter them over the dish as you see fit.
5. Now grind some fresh pepper over all your sardines, followed by a little good virgin olive oil. Finally, round off with a little acidity in the form of the juice from half a lemon (be careful not to use too much).

And there you have it: the first (and easiest) dish of the evening. Now let's move on to our oysters – enjoy!

Three different oyster dishes

Now we move on to the three oyster dishes. Start preparing these shortly before your guests arrive (or before you plan to eat them yourself), as they should be served immediately after they have been prepared.

Oysters au gratin “Rockefeller”

Ingredients

• 8 fresh oysters
• 1 heaped tablespoon butter
• ½ bunch baby spinach
• A little finely chopped garlic, if desired
• 5-6 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs (white, not too fresh bread, crusts removed and blended)
• 25 g Gruyère cheese or Vesterhavsost cheese
• Ice-cold, good quality, unsalted butter. Place the package in the freezer.

Method

1. Turn on the grill in your oven and place a rack on the highest setting.
2. Melt the butter in a pan, preferably with the chopped garlic, and toss the spinach leaves in it. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer the spinach to a cold plate and leave to cool.
3. Now open your oysters and scrape them into a bowl. Remember to rinse the shells thoroughly. Fish out the oysters and return them to the washed shells, which are placed in a pan with a little crumpled aluminium foil. This will keep them in place during gratinating.
4. Now cover your oysters with the cooled spinach. Sprinkle generously with breadcrumbs and grate plenty of cheese over the top so that the spinach is covered.
5. Using a thin peeler, slice thin slices of butter and place them over each oyster, then bake them in a preheated oven set to ‘grill’ at 200 degrees. Keep an eye on your oysters. As soon as they have browned, take them out.

Oysters should not be heated too much. This will make them tough and uninteresting to eat.

Serve immediately.

Oysters with tomato and chilli vinaigrette

The second version of our New Year's oysters this time features tomato and chilli.

Part of this recipe can also be prepared in advance. If you want a little extra time on the day, here are a few tips.

Ingredients

• 8 fresh oysters
• 0.5 green chili
• 0.5 red chili
• 1 ripe tomato
• 1 shallot
• Good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• One lemon

Method

As mentioned, you can do some of the work in advance – steps 1-3 here.

1. Start by removing the stems and seeds from your chillies. Then chop them into very fine cubes.
   
2. Blanch your tomato and peel it. Since we don't want soggy oysters, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into fine cubes.
3. Then take your shallot and chop it finely. Mix everything together with lemon and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Leave to infuse.
4. Now take your oysters and open them (carefully). Remove any residue from the shells and place the rinsed top shells on a platter with the top side facing up, so that they form a base.
5. Now loosen your oysters and turn them over so that the attractive base is facing upwards, and place them on the top shells.
6. Stir the vinaigrette. Now you can either dip each oyster in the vinaigrette or place it alongside.

Oysters with olive oil and horseradish

Our next oyster dish is oysters with olive oil and horseradish. Super simple. Absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

• 8 fresh oysters
• 2-3 cm fresh horseradish, peeled
• Good quality extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Carefully open your oysters (as shown in the video) and remove any debris from the shell.
2. Place the rinsed top shells on a platter with the top side facing up to form a base.
   Refrigerate the open oysters until ready to serve.
3. Just before serving your oysters, grate horseradish over them. Then pour a little good olive oil over them and finish with ground black pepper.

Dinner is served.

Happy New Year!