Oysters with Champagne Mignonette
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“We go together like champagne and oysters” isn’t something you hear too often, but it really is a perfect pairing! That’s why, if you’re serving raw oysters as an appetizer with a glass of bubbly, you should reserve a little champagne for this champagne mignonette and watch your tastebuds dance!
So, you’re serving raw oysters as an appetizer for a fancy, celebratory, or important meal. Or, you live near the ocean and have access to fresh oysters, and it’s a regular old day for you (lucky duck!) And since you’re serving oysters, you’ll need a sauce to go with them – that’s where the classic combo of oysters and champagne mignonette comes in! Get ready to fine-dine the pants off your guests!
What is mignonette?
A mignonette is a dipping sauce highly associated with raw oysters. It always consists of vinegar, shallots, and fresh cracked pepper. The sauce’s flavors balance and brighten the briny oysters’ taste. Following this recipe, you’ll feel confident serving champagne mignonette alongside your raw oysters and saying it! It’s pronounced “min-yon-et”.
Key ingredients to make champagne mignonette
The beauty of this champagne mignonette recipe is in its simplicity. And usually, if it’s paired with raw oysters, it’s not to subtract from or blanket the taste of the oysters, but to complement and even enhance it. Here are some notes on key ingredients:
- Champagne: for this recipe, you’ll need ¼ cup of champagne. That said, you can use any kind of sparkling wine to make champagne mignonette.
- Champagne vinegar: This is a mild type of vinegar made from Chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. The champagne vinegar supports the champagne in this recipe as you’ll only need 2 tablespoons.
Additions and substitutions
There are some additions and substitutions you can make to this simple sauce, depending on what you have on hand or the flavor profile you’re after. Here are some examples:
- Non-alcoholic: you can make champagne vinegar mignonette (and omit the champagne or sparkling wine) to achieve a similar result.
- Herbs: You can use some herbs in this sauce as well to add another layer of fresh, herby brightness. Popular options are parsley and cilantro.
- Salt: It’s not unheard of to add salt to champagne mignonette, however, keep in mind that the oysters will be salty by nature. Consider trying the mignonette sauce on an oyster without salt before you add any more.
- Sugar: The champagne will add some sweetness to this sauce, however, you can add sugar to your taste. or liking.
- Citrus: Try adding a small splash of your favorite citrus. Lemon, lime, and orange all work very well.
What to serve with champagne mignonette
If you’re considering serving champagne mignonette, you’re also serving raw oysters, which are typically served as an appetizer. Here’s an example of a menu that would go nicely with a starter like oysters and champagne mignonette:
- Meat: A nice steak served with sautéed green beans and roasted fingerling potatoes would be a wonderful follow-up to your oyster appetizer.
- Fish: If you’re on a seafood theme, smoked salmon pasta would be a delicious entrée that is equally impressive!
- Shared plates or all appies: If you’re going to do share plates or an all-appetizer menu, consider also serving chimichurri steak bites, bacon scallop lollipops, crispy parmesan brussels sprouts, and/or potato croquettes. Yum!
Serving and storage
- Serving: This champagne mignonette is good for 12 oysters. However, you should calculate 3-4 oysters per person and adjust the sauce measurements accordingly. You can double or triple the recipe if you’re serving a larger group.
- Storing: If stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it will last a month.
Champagne Mignonette Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup champagne
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 2 teaspoons shallots (finely minced)
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Crushed ice (to keep oysters cool)
- 12 raw oysters (shucked)
- Lemon wedges and freshly grated horseradish (optional)
- freshly grated horseradish (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the champagne, vinegar, shallots, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.¼ cup champagne, 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar, 2 teaspoons shallots, Fresh cracked pepper
- Cover a rimmed plate with ice then arrange the shucked oysters on top.12 raw oysters, Lemon wedges and freshly grated horseradish, freshly grated horseradish, Crushed ice
- Serve with the champagne mignonette, lemon wedges, and horseradish. Enjoy, preferably with a glass of champagne!
Video
Notes
Watch out for any small bits of shell that might have broken off, you definitely don’t want to eat these. Make sure you don’t use your good knives, it will break the tips off of them for sure!
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
More seafood recipes
For more inspiration, check out all of our seafood recipes!
I loved this!! Used some verjuice and white wine vinegar as champagne vinegar was too hard to source, but for a celebration this simple sauce was great
Love oysters and the mignonette turned out great. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Wow. What a beautiful blog. Tasteologie.com brought me here; now I’ll subscribe 🙂
Catie,
Thank you so much for your super sweet comment. You made my day!!