Cook’s notes
First, this is Filipino adobo, not Mexican adobo.
Second, while Filipino adobo is essentially a stew, the stewing in this recipe happens off the heat.
Third, this is an updated recipe. While the ingredients remain the same, the cooking procedure has been heavily modified. Trust me, this version is better than the one I posted back in March 22, 2013.
I had two goals when I cooked this dish: (1) Blend the intense flavors of adobo sauce with the brininess of the oysters (2) without allowing the oysters to shrink too much and toughen.
Stage one: cook adobo sauce
We cook adobo sauce with the usual ingredients — vinegar, garlic, black pepper, oregano and bay leaves — but we add oyster sauce for extra umami. The mixture is boiled gently until reduced by half.Stage two: cook the oysters in adobo sauce
We add the oysters to the boiling sauce, stir and leave to cook for a minute or so.Stage three: let the oysters steep in the adobo sauce
This is the part where we let the oysters soak up the flavors of the adobo sauce without getting any additional opportunity to shrink. You can just turn off the heat and let the oysters steep with the pan uncovered. But that pan is still hot and any residual heat can cook the oysters some more. We certainly do not want to overcook them so they need to be removed from the hot pan. The better practice is to transfer the contents of the pan to a shallow bowl where the oysters can sit in the sauce in a single layer. Partially cover the bowl to allow steam to escape and leave until cool.Oysters adobo
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 cups shucked oysters
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Adobo sauce
- 6 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch ground oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup light soy sauce (I used Kikkoman)
Garnish
- fried garlic
- thinly sliced scallions
Instructions
Clean the oysters
- Place the oysters in a bowl, add the cornstarch, pour three cups of water and stir until the water looks cloudy.
- Leave to soak for about five minutes to allow any sandy residue to sink to the bottom of the bowl with the starch. Rinse the oysters and drain.
Cook adobo sauce
- In a wide pan, place the garlic, pepper, oregano, bay leaves and oyster sauce.
- Stir together the vinegar and soy sauce and pour over the contents of the pan.
- Boil gently until reduced by half.
Cook the oysters in adobo sauce
- Add the oysters to the sauce, stir and leave until the sauce boils.
- Allow the oysters to cook in the boiling sauce for one minute, stirring once, then turn off the heat.
Cool and serve
- Transfer shallow bowl and leave to steep, partially covered, until cool then plate as you wish.
- Serve the oysters adobo (optionally garnished with fried garlic and sliced scallions) at room temperature.
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