Thank you, California Avocados, for sponsoring this post!

I’m in a celebratory mood lately… because I'm getting married soon!!! It feels like June 11th is approaching at lightning speed, which makes me feel very anxious but I’m mostly just excited to marry Reuben and see our friends and family all in one beautiful garden! Overall, we are feeling pretty great and have things somewhat in control. We decided to DIY a lot of the wedding, from growing flowers, building our chuppah, and all the smaller decor items. We just finished making everything the other day so now we just need to rest up, drink lots of water, and wait for our favorite people to arrive! 

Everyone has been asking for food recommendations while in the Bay Area, which is one of my least favorite questions because for some reason my mind immediately goes blank. It makes no sense, because we’ve eaten at so many incredible restaurants here over the last 8 years. I normally need a few moments to get back into reality and then I can rattle off a few beloved places though. It seems like everyone is looking forward to Bay Area oysters and asking where’s the best place for them. I say my house haha! 

For real though, one of the best parts about living in the Bay Area is the direct access to some of the best oysters in the country. Many of them come from nearby Tomales Bay, which is so gorgeous and filled with the most delicious and sweet oysters. You can buy them at pretty much any quality seafood market or directly from a seafood restaurant. Reuben and I love to grab 2 dozen to take home and shuck them ourselves for a fun date night or when there’s something to celebrate (maybe, like a wedding?). One of our earlier dates was actually driving up to Tomales Bay and buying oysters to enjoy on the beach, but we didn’t realize the place we were going to get oysters from only sold bags of 50 so we had waaaaaaaay too many oysters just for the two of us. We ate as many fresh ones by the beach as we could and just took the rest home to grill with some butter and bourbon.

Since then, we’ve learned to be more strategic with our oyster buying and how to make the best mignonette! Mignonette is a blend of vinegar, seasonings, and shallots used to top fresh oysters. Good oysters should taste great on their own, but a mignonette really makes the oysters sing! We love this Lemongrass Avocado Mignonette for a spin on the class mignonette. I make it with a blend of rice wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar for flavor and complexity. There’s a classic shallot in the mix but the lemongrass adds a really nice zest and aromatic flavor. Then the finely diced California Avocado provides a really lovely richness and creamy textural contrast to the chewy oyster. I also love the pops of pink and green color when you spoon mignonette over the oyster.

California oysters and California Avocados, what more could you ask for?! California Avocados are in season through Summer so there is plenty of time left to enjoy them. Make sure your avocados are from California by looking at the label!

Over the wedding weekend, we will be hosting a bunch of friends in our backyard and these oysters will definitely make an appearance! 

Oysters with Lemongrass Avocado Mignonette

1 shallot, minced

2 lemongrass stalks, minced

1/2 avocado, finely diced

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 to 3 lbs extra small or small oysters

1. In a medium bowl, mix to combine shallots, lemongrass, avocado, salt, apple cider vinegar, and rice vinegar. Allow the mignonette to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill and slightly pickle the shallots before serving.

2. Shuck the oysters and set on a bed of ice to serve or shuck oysters to order. Spoon a little mignonette on top of the oyster and enjoy!