Match of the week

Fried oysters with harissa and a Virgin Mary

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on July 9 2025 at 21:20

There were some good, if familiar, wine pairings last week - including Muscadet with moules and clams marinières at The Pony at Chew Valley in Somerset (good to be reminded how reliable a match that is). But the one I’m going for is this combination of crispy fried oysters with harissa and coriander and a Virgin Mary which, as I’m sure you know, is an alcohol-free version of a Bloody Mary which I had at brunch at No. 1 York Place in Clifton, Bristol.

Spicy harissa with spicy tomato juice - is that too much? Turns out not. The tomato juice was really well spiced so echoed rather than being overwhelmed by the harissa. It just seemed like an extra dimension of chilli rather than being overwhelmingly hot.

If you want to try this for yourself there’s a recipe for fried oysters on the Great British Chefs website and a recipe for a Virgin Mary here.

You could obviously sneak in a shot of vodka!

PS I reckon the pairing would also work with freshly shucked oysters served with Tabasco.

For other oyster matches see The best wine (and other) pairings with oysters

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