Few dishes are as storied as Oysters Rockefeller. Created in 1899 at the legendary Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans, the dish quickly became famous for its lavish richness, earning a name that nodded to the immense wealth of John D. Rockefeller. At the time, they might well have been worth a million dollars. Considering inflation since 1899, they may be closer to ten million today.
That thought is exactly why I like to call these Million Dollar Oysters. It’s also a small departure from my usual habit of sticking closely to historical recipes—especially ones I never fully warmed to. While the original recipe remains one of the great culinary secrets of Antoine’s, versions of the dish spread quickly across New Orleans and eventually around the world, each cook putting their own spin on the famous topping.
My recipe keeps the spirit of the classic but simplifies the formula. These oysters are made with spinach—unlike the original—and skip additional herbs like parsley to avoid the occasional bitter edge they can bring. Instead, the flavors are built from a short list of luxurious ingredients: a splash of anise liqueur, cream, cheese, and a simple seasoning of salt and pepper.
The result is rich, briny, and satisfying—so good you may very well decide they’re worth a million dollars yourself.
Let’s Make Million Dollar Oysters
Shuck the oysters, refrigerate them and the reserved oyster liquor and pre-heat the oven to 425.
Saute the shallots in butter for 2 minutes on medium low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Pour in the Pernod and the reserved oyster liquor, then simmer to reduce by half. Add the remaining topping ingredients, then stir in the spinach. Simmer until you have a thick mixture to cover the oysters.
Cover each oyster with spinach mix and sprinkle with cheeses. Place them on a baking sheet with rock salt and bake 7-8 minutes to melt the cheeses and warm the oysters.
Plate, sprinkle with flaky salt and serve with quartered lemon. Print
Million Dollar Oysters
A modern take on Oysters Rockefeller with a cheesy, creamed spinach
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3-5 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 18 large gulf oysters – shuck, strain and reserve liquor
- 10 oz baby spinach, blanched, cooled in ice water, squeezed dry – finely chopped
- 1/4 cup oyster liquor
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup cream cheese
- 2 TBL unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup shallot -minced
- 1/3 cup Pernod
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup gruyere cheese – finely grated
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese – finely grated
- Flaky sea salt – garnish
- Quartered lemon – garnish
Instructions
- Shuck the oysters, refrigerate them and the reserved oyster liquor
- Pre-heat the oven to 425
- Saute the shallots in butter for 2 minutes on medium low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more
- Add Pernod and the reserved oyster liquor, then simmer to reduce by half
- Reduce heat to low. Add cream cheese, heavy cream, salt, pepper and stir 1 minute, then stir in the spinach. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper – if necessary
- Simmer until you have a thick mixture to cover the oysters. Remove from heat and set aside while preparing the oysters
- Completely cover each oyster with spinach mix and sprinkle the cheeses on them
- Place them on a baking sheet with rock salt to keep them upright while baking and bake 7-8 minutes to melt the cheeses and warm the oysters
- Plate, sprinkle with flaky salt and serve with quartered lemon