Oysters Rockefeller is a savoury dish of oysters with a purée of mixed greens, baked on the half-shell.
It is made at Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans. It is sometimes erroneously attributed to Delmonico’s restaurant in New York.
The actual recipe is a secret. Keeping it a secret has helped to increase the mystique and consequent sales of the dish at the restaurant, as well as visits to the restaurant.
Some people speculate that there is spinach in it, and many attempts to reproduce the recipe do use spinach, but Antoine’s has said that spinach isn’t in it.
Some people speculate that the mixed greens might be pot herbs and celery leaves instead.
Some people feel the imitation recipes with spinach in them taste better than the original.
Some people say they think there are around 18 different ingredients in it, and that it probably includes a pastis, which could originally have been absinthe, as well as butter, bread crumbs, fennel, garlic, parsley, scallions and watercress.
History Notes
Oysters Rockefeller was created in New Orleans in the late 1890s by Jules Alciatore of Antoine’s in New Orleans, who was the son of Antoine’s founder, Antoine Alciatore.
Some say it is called Rockefeller because of how rich it is.