Oysters Mombasa

Posted for ZWT7 Whether or not the Swahili and other African peoples of the Eastern African coast traditionally ate oysters does not seem to be well documented. There are very few recipes for oysters in African cookbooks, and those that there are come from Western Africa. Thus, it seems possible that Oysters Mombasa originated among expatriates in Africa during the era of British colonialism in Kenya. Mombasa, an island-port city on the Indian ocean, served as the gateway to the "white highlands" and "Happy Valley" of Kenya for European settlers arriving by ship. It's easy to imagine jazz-age European elites eating oysters like this in Mombasa's hotels and restaurants. To this day, Kenyan oysters are featured on the menus of restaurants and resorts, mostly frequented by tourists, along the Kenyan coast.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Yields: 24 oysters

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 3  garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1  bunch parsley or 1  bunch cilantro, chopped
•  hot sauce, to taste (African hot sauce, Tabasco Sauce, Piri-Piri Sauce)
• 1⁄2 cup white wine
•  salt, to taste
•  black pepper, to taste
•  red pepper, to taste
• 24  oysters, cleaned and left on the half shell

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Prepare sauce: melt butter in a saucepan. Add garlic and parsley (or cilantro). Sauté for a few minutes. Add hot sauce, wine, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.
3. Arrange the oysters on a baking sheet. Drizzle a spoonful of sauce over each oyster.
4. Bake oysters for six to eight minutes in the heated oven. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and remaining sauce or additional hot sauce on the side.