Akoya oyster with kaffir lime leaf and shallot oil by Amy Hamilton, Liberte, Albany
As part of our ongoing series Flavour of the Month, chef Amy Hamilton, of Liberte in WA’s southern city of Albany, turns her attention to a new aquaculture product, the Akoya oyster.
Six hours from Perth by car, in the very south of WA, billionaire miner and philanthropist Dr Andrew Forrest is doing something commercial with his recently acquired PhD in marine science from the University of Western Australia.
Under the umbrella of his company Leeuwin Coast, Forrest’s private company Tattarang has invested in Albany aquaculture, with a focus on mussels, rock oysters and a relatively unknown — in culinary circles — bivalve, the Akoya.
It’s not the only Forrest interest in food, and it’s a space the family will only do more with in time.
Harvey Beef, the state’s largest beef processor, is a ubiquitous retail brand in WA. And the Forrests grow a fair bit of it too across numerous, and vast, pastoral interests in the north of the state.
They also are trialling agave and sweet potatoes on the Kimberley properties.
Then there’s their recently opened restaurant on the shores of Perth’s Swan River, Cooee, in the same magnificent old Swan Breweries building the company is housed in. They have the lease on, and intention to redevelop, Cottesloe’s Indiana Teahouse site too; the Forrests want a world-class restaurant destination, and the site’s a cracker, but plans have stalled over public acceptance of two design proposals.
The family also plans to transform a run-down caravan park opposite Ningaloo Reef, at Exmouth, into a luxury eco-tourism resort that will by necessity include restaurants. And there is speculation that a Fremantle property owned by the family may at some point become a hotel project.
But back to those Akoya which Leeuwin Coast plans to begin marketing in the eastern states later this year.
Grown on ropes, in much the same manner as mussel farming, Akoya are the same species of oyster harvested for mother of pearl and used to culture pearls.
They are quite dissimilar to a rock oyster.
Nevertheless, when harvested small, their meat has an intensity of flavour more suited to gentle curing or cooking than eating raw, and a number of WA chefs are now experimenting with the product in search of great applications.
I’ve enjoyed Akoya in many styles at Cooee, Hearth, Vasse Felix and Wills Domain, among the state’s better restaurants.
The chef at Forrest’s Cooee is presumably obliged to use the boss’s product. Another — on the oyster’s doorstep, so to speak — is Amy Hamilton, chef and proprietor of Albany institution Liberte, a slightly bohemian fixture on the state’s regional dining scene.
“We explore the French influence in Vietnamese cuisine, told through the food and producers of the Great Southern,” says Hamilton, who has owned Liberte for six years and been a chef for 18.
“I started my career at now-closed Perth institution Must under chef Russell Blaikie after I relentlessly pursued him to give me a chance to work in his kitchen,” she adds.
Hamilton started as a “dishy” but made her way up the ranks, putting fine art studies on hold.
“Russell instilled in me the importance of local, seasonal produce, which is the backbone of Liberte’s approach.”
The backstory
Hamilton shares her preparation of Akoya oysters with kaffir lime leaf and shallot oil. “This dish encapsulates my love of French-Vietnamese cuisine with the use of kaffir lime, shallot oil and chilli, and uses a simple technique to highlight the flavour and texture of the oyster,” she says.
Hamilton’s method will be unfamiliar territory for most.
Lightly curing the oyster in lime juice makes it approachable for those who are apprehensive about raw oysters, she says, yet it still honours the natural flavour of the ingredient.
“It represents me on a plate: bold, considered and unpretentious.”
The produce
“I’m very fortunate to live and work in the Great Southern; we have an abundance of amazing producers, not to mention a burgeoning and maturing wine industry,” Hamilton says. “It’s awesome to be able to use ingredients that are grown in my own backyard, it’s actually very exciting for me as a chef.”
The Akoya oyster used in this recipe is farmed less than an hour from Liberte in downtown Albany.
The method
This is a very simple dish to execute, and works equally well with the more familiar rock or Pacific oysters.
“First I julienne the kaffir lime leaves and slice green chilli finely, and do the same with a French shallot. The delicate flavour of a shallot is less intense than an onion and is a staple in my kitchen; it enhances, rather than overpowers.”
After juicing a lime, the oyster is shucked.
“All you need to do is pry open the shell with a butter knife; it’s far easier than a rock oyster. I de-beard the oysters by removing the “rope” then place them into a small bowl, add the aromats, lime, shallot and shallot oil, and season with salt and pepper.
“I leave them to cure for five to eight minutes — depending on size — then put them each on a half-shell to serve. Nothing to it.”
The twist
Hamilton says working with the Akoya since they came on stream as a commercial product in 2020 has been a journey. “Don’t use a traditional oyster-shucking knife for the Akoya, if you can avoid it,” she says. “It could easily break the shell, and we want to keep them to serve our finished dish.
“They have a kaleidoscope of colours inside, as you’d expect with mother of pearl, and you might even find one with a pearl inside if you’re lucky.”
The price
$28 per half dozen.
Akoya oysters* with kaffir lime leaf and shallot oil
INGREDIENTS
● 12 freshly shucked Akoya oysters, on the half shell
● Several pinches sea salt flakes
● Freshly cracked black pepper (optional)
● ½ French shallot, finely sliced
● 30ml fresh lime juice
● 30ml shallot oil
● 1-2 fresh kaffir lime leaves, finely julienned
● 1 fresh green chilli, finely sliced
METHOD
Mix all ingredients together and spoon over oysters. Leave to cure for 5-8 minutes.
Serve on the half shell and enjoy with a glass of Great Southern riesling.
*Akoya oysters can be substituted for Albany or Sydney rock oysters, or smaller Pacifics from South Australia or Tasmania.
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