Oysters are synonymous with Valentine’s Day, and it’s not surprising – we have access to such fresh oysters in Australia, so why not celebrate with them? I love my oysters with a splash of lemon and that’s it, but here are some ideas on how you can ritz up your shells for a special day.

1. Brown butter, pepper and lemon
Place about 50g butter and a good cracking of fresh black pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until it just starts to turn brown. Quickly remove from the heat and add the juice of a lemon. Spoon onto the oysters and eat immediately.

2. Tabasco BLT
Bacon and oysters love each other, so why not make a pimped up BLT version? Fry a little streaky smoked bacon in a small frying pan over medium heat then add a few crushed cherry tomatoes, season and cook until softened. Spoon onto the oysters and top with thinly sliced cos lettuce and some Tabasco.

3. Quick pickled ginger with sesame
Use a vegetable peeler to take some very thin slices off a piece of ginger then slice into thin matchsticks. Add to a small bowl with some rice wine vinegar and pickle for 5 minutes then drain. Add to the oysters with a few drops of sesame oil and toasted black and white sesame seeds.

4.Grilled chorizo and manchego
Very finely chop some chorizo then place in a pan over medium heat and cook until fat has renders and chorizo is crisp. Coarsely grate some manchego then place on top of your oysters with some chorizo and the cooking oil. Place under a hot grill until cheese has melted then enjoy immediately.

5. Chilli, coconut and scorched lime
Place a frypan over high heat until smoking. Segment a lime then brush with a little oil and add to the frypan until slightly blackened then remove and cool. Add to your oysters with some very thinly sliced chilli, lime zest and a grating of fresh coconut.

6. Wasabi, tamari and seaweed
Depending on your tolerance for wasabi heat, add a small dollop of wasabi to your oyster then drizzle over a little tamari and scatter over some very thinly sliced nori.