With the arrival of October, we enter the second month of the season bearing the essential “R,” indicating the propriety of the consumption of oysters. There is a certain romance, a decadence, which comes with taking on a tray of the pearlescent bivalves as the season of celebration commences and the mercury starts dropping.
At the new-ish Porgy’s Seafood Market in Mid-City, chef Marcus Jacobs serves them wickedly cold on a bed of crushed ice with a backer of Nuoc Cham Mignonette, which whacks the palate with more of a slap and a kiss in the best way possible.
Nuoc Cham Mignonette
Courtesy of Porgy’s Seafood Market
Makes 8 ounces of mignonette. Serve with one dozen raw oysters.
1/4 cup lime juice, strained
1/2 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons cane sugar
Pinch of salt
2 hot peppers thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
Half of a peeled shallot, sliced
1 dozen fresh Gulf Oysters, shucked on a bed of crushed ice
3 lemon wedges, for garnish
In a bowl, whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and salt until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour the liquid into to a blender and add the sliced hot peppers, chopped garlic, and sliced shallot. Process until all ingredients are fine but still visible.
Pour the mignonette into a small dish and pair it with a dozen fresh-shucked (preferably Gulf-caught) oysters set over ice with the lemon wedges. Serve.
What to Drink
Chef Jacobs recommends Seehof Pinot Noir Rosé from Rheinhessen, Germany. “It is crisp and dry and can handle a little bit of spice”.
The Expert | Chef Marcus Jacobs
Co-Owner, Porgy’s Seafood Market
Chef-Owner, Broad Street Ballers
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Marcus Jacobs morphed from dishwasher to pitch hitter for the pastry chef at Alana’s Food & Wine, when said pastry chef called in sick. Under Chef Alana Shock’s mentorship, Jacobs soon surrendered his Palmolive to the stove and ultimately ascended to sous chef. He later went on to work under powerhouse chef Judy Rodgers at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. He hit New Orleans in 2010 and worked under Donald Link, Ryan Prewitt and Rebecca Wilcomb. He met his life and business partner Caitlin Carney while working as executive sous chef at Herbsaint; they opened the celebrated Marjie’s Grill in 2017 and Seafood Sally’s in 2021. Last year, they joined Dana Honn and Christina do Carmo Honn to launch Porgy’s Seafood Market. It’s safe to say Marcus Jacobs knows a few things about oysters.
