Japanese Ponzu Sauce
with Ginger and Chilli 

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce
1 cm ginger, peeled and finely grated on a micro plane
1 Tbsp lime/lemon or yuzu juice
1 Tbsp Japanese rice wine or 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp peanut oil* or extra virgin olive oil

To serve;
3 spring onions, ends trimmed
2 cups ice cubes or very cold water
1 long red chilli, seeds removed.
1–2 dozen freshly shucked oysters 

Method

Step 1
Stir the Japanese soy sauce, grated ginger, lime juice, rice wine and peanut oil together in a small bowl. Leave for an hour or so for the flavour’s to infuse.

Step 2
Trim away the white part of the spring onion and put aside for another use. Cut the green ends into about 5 cm lengths; using a very sharp knife, cut the spring onion into fine julienne. Add ice to a small bowl and half fill with cold water. Add the sliced spring onions to the bowl and leave a while until they curl up.

Step 3
To shred the chilli; Use a kitchen glove to handle the chili, slice into very fine slices. Stack the sliced chilli together and cut into very fine dice. Transfer to a small serving bowl. 

Step 4
Clean any small pieces of shell away from the oyster, try and retain the natural oyster juices. Slide a small sharp knife under the flesh of the oyster to cut it away from the base of the shell.
 
To serve:
Drizzle a little Ponzu sauce onto each oyster, top with a few curls of spring onion and a sprinkle of chilli. The oysters can be dressed with the topping and left to sit a while in the fridge or on ice if ‘entertaining’ guests. 

Ready in: 15 minutes   
Makes ¼ cup, enough to top 24 oysters.
​Credit: Taste Nov–Dec 2017
​Photography: Vanessa Lewis

Tip: Oysters are an excellent source of zinc, iron and calcium and very rich in protein.