Notes: Many recipes for Oysters Rockefeller include spinach. Antoine's, the New Orleans restaurant which invented this recipe, has publicly stated that its recipe does not contain spinach. A 1986 laboratory analysis by William Poundstone indicated that the Antoine's recipe contained parsley, celery, scallions or chives, olive oil, and capers. I based my recipe on that lab result.
Also note that this recipe calls for absinthe. If you dislike absinthe or cannot find it, you may substitute herbsaint or even white wine. I would like to point out that absinthe's reputation greatly exceeds its actual merits. It is not illegal, and it does not cause hallucinations. It gained its reputation because French wine merchants lost money to absinthe makers, so the wine merchants invented a lot of rumors about absinthe to drive it out of the market, with great success. Absinthe has since been re-legalized. It's flavored with anise, so it's faintly licorice-y. I don't much care for it myself, so I tend to use white wine instead.
1/4 pound butter
1/4 celery stalk, finely chopped
1/2 bunch scallions or chives, finely chopped
1/4 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon capers
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup absinthe
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
12 oysters in shells
rock salt (optional)
Shuck and rinse oysters, reserving shells. Chill till ready to use.
Melt butter in skillet. Add celery, scallions, and parsley; sauté five minutes or until just tender. Add Worcestershire sauce; reduce heat to medium; cook two minutes. Add absinthe and half the bread crumbs. Remove from heat and place in bowl. Cool completely. Whip with an electric mixer till light and fluffy. Spoon sauce over oysters. Arrange oysters on bed of rock salt (optional; the rock salt is traditional) on baking tray and bake at 375° 5-8 minutes or till golden.