Roasted Oysters with Nori Kale Pesto
Nori Kale Pesto is not only imparts a delicious umami flavor that brings out the savoriness of roasted oysters, but it is also packed full of amazing health benefits and properties, thanks to the Nori.
I love incorporating a little pop of seaweed into my oyster recipes whenever I can. Seaweed is a condensed, natural source of the elusive umami flavor. Umami is a naturally occurring flavor enhancer, roughly meaning 'deliciousness' in Japanese. It is used to describe the pleasant savory taste found in mushrooms, Parmesan, and, of course, oysters and seaweed. When combined with a bright and earthy pesto, the Nori adds another layer of flavor complexity that makes roasted oysters all the more savory. Plus, Nori is packed with health benefits that are supremely awesome for your body. And, the best part, this recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make.
Nori is well-known for its high levels of iodine, which can be missing in the diet of those concerned with excessive salt intake. It is also well-known for its weight loss properties, and even has the ability to reduce the rate of fat absorption by 75% thanks to the effect algae has on the body’s lipase, a digestive enzyme that breaks down fat. Nori also has more Omega 3 fatty acids than an avocado has, and has been known to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It also has high levels of chlorophyll, a powerful detoxifier.
This Nori Kale Pesto recipe is something that can be easily adaptable to fit your individual tastes. Your Nori-to-Kale ratio can be adjusted depending on how strong you want the nori flavor to be in your pesto. I stick to two sheets of Nori in my recipe, but my significant other only prefers one. I recommend starting with using one sheet, and, as you taste-test, you can decide whether to add in another full or half sheet of Nori. Another substitution you can make is pine nuts for pistachios. I personally always use pistachios in any of my pesto sauces, because I think it adds a nice earthiness and saltiness.
The consistency of the Nori Kale Pesto is also adaptable. I prefer to blend mine until smooth, as I use this recipe to serve as the base sauce for my Wakame Crust Pizza. Similarly, if I am dipping bread into the Pesto, or using it as a sauce for pasta, the consistency should be smooth, and you should be able to drizzle it with a spoon. If you find your consistency is more paste-like after blending your ingredients in a food processor, just add more olive oil to the mix.
Nori Kale Pesto is not only amazing on oysters, it also tastes amazing tossed with a bowl of pasta, or slathered on a piece of whitefish or salmon before baking it in the oven. It is also great as a dipping sauce too, and pairs excellently with crackers or homemade breadsticks. The ability to personalize this easy-to-make recipe makes it a delicious and healthy kitchen staple you can incorporate into dozens of recipes beyond oysters!
Roasted Oysters with Nori Kale Pesto
Ingredients
Instructions
- Process the veggies. Combine the hand-shredded kale leaves, lemon juice, garlic cloves, shelled pistachios, nori sheets, and 1/2 of a cup of the olive oil into a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Add in the olive oil and spices. Remove the lid of the food processor, and examine the consistency of the pesto. If the pesto is more of a paste, and does not spread or drizzle easily, add more olive oil, and continue to process until the desired consistency is reached. Once the desired consistency has been reached, season with salt and pepper to taste, and blend to combine.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Prep your oysters. Shuck each oyster, and place 1/2 tablespoon of the Nori Kale Pesto onto the bellies of each oyster.
- Pop your prepared oysters in the oven for 7-9 minutes to roast.
- Roast the oysters. After 7 minutes check on your oysters - the bellies should look swollen, and the oyster meat should pull away from the edges of the shell and rise in the center.
- Remove the oysters from the oven, and sprinkle some breadcrumbs onto the roasted pesto.
