The secret to making great oysters Rockefeller

There’s nothing more intriguing than a closely guarded secret recipe. Coca-Cola and KFC are two famous examples, with the precise ingredients for the soda syrup and special coating kept in guarded vaults: the story is that those who hold the information aren’t allowed to travel on the same plane in case of disaster. Lea & Perrins, Angostura Bitters and Chartreuse all keep their products’ make-up secret.

Nobody knows the recipe for oysters Rockefeller – or at least nobody knows the original recipe. It was created in 1889 at Antoine’s restaurant in New Orleans, which still stands today, serving the same classically French food it did back in the 19th century. It came about because the chef – Jules Alciatore, son of the eponymous Antoine – discovered there was a shortage of snails for an hors d’oeuvre, and used oysters in their place. The dish is therefore not dissimilar to the traditional preparation of escargots, with a green butter topping and the oyster cooked inside the shell under a hot grill.

Oysters Rockefeller have been served ever since, reportedly to the exact same recipe as when the dish was invented. But the recipe itself is a secret. Many attempts have been made to work out the components for the verdant topping, but the restaurant remains tight-lipped.

Here’s what we do know: the name is a nod to the richness of the dish, named after the Midas-like John D. Rockefeller. The oysters themselves are served on the half shell, spread with a mixture of garlicky, cheesy, anise-y breadcrumbs, chopped herbs and butter, then grilled until blistered and bubbling and swimming in green butter. 

Antoine’s chefs have always denied that spinach is one of the ingredients in the dish. I am not one to disbelieve them.