Once you’ve tried a delicious and fresh oyster raw, you’ll never go back. But as tasty as they are on their own, part of the fun of eating them is figuring out the absolute best toppings to serve raw oysters with. One of the easiest starting points for an oyster topper that will wow your dinner guests is a simple granita-like frozen topping, which not only keeps your fresh oyster nice and chilled, but also imparts a delicate and delectable flavor.
So: what’s granita? It’s a semi-frozen dessert that’s similar to Japanese or Hawaiian-style shaved ice, where the ice is powdery and delicate rather than having a slushy-like consistency. Typically, granita is served sweet as a dessert, but you can even turn salad into a delicious, savory granita. It’s easy to make, too: you just need a liquid, your other ingredients, a blender, and a freezer-safe container. Simply blend up your ingredients (and add a liquid if your ingredients are too dry) and dump the mixture into a container. Pop it in the freezer until frozen, and then scrape the block with a fork to create shavings. You can pile as much of it as you want atop your oysters to enjoy a refreshing bite.
Granita flavors that will make your oysters rock
Now that you know how to make granita, you can focus instead on picking out ingredients that make for a killer combo with the fresh and briny taste of an oyster. You can mix and match ingredients for your frozen raw oyster topper to your heart’s content, but consider having a granita that balances sweetness, sourness, and spice, since those flavors tend to complement seafood well. For example, pomegranate juice, sugar, vinegar, and black pepper hit that sweet-and-tangy combo, with the pepper adding a nice kick. You can even throw in some aromatics like shallots or garlic for a pungent pop of flavor.
Another great option is the sweet-and-spicy combo of cucumbers, sugar, and jalapeños, with just a dash of lemon or lime juice for a punch of tartness. If you’re looking for something more simple that will let the taste of the oyster really shine, you could forego any additional flavors completely and just use sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper. Lemon juice is an essential garnish to serve with oysters on the half shell, so you can toss it into your granita without worrying about flavors clashing, too. Whether you decide to make something complex or keep it simple, you’ll find that this frozen topping really takes your raw oysters to the next level.
