1. Shuck 4 oysters and remove from shell. Cut each oyster in half and keep chilled until ready to use.

2. Pour 1 ounce of hot sake into each shot glass. Crack open and drop 1 raw quail egg into each sake shot glass while the sake is still hot so the quail egg becomes lightly poached.

3. Add half oyster to each shot glass. Top off shot glasses with a dash of ponzu (DIY recipe here) and Sriracha to taste.

4. Sprinkle with scallions and garnish with lemon. Enjoy immediately.

*You can easily modify the recipe and make virgin shots by substituting hot water for the sake. And the recipe is versatile, making it easy to sub in other delicacies from the sea like scallops and uni for the oysters.

Oyster-Shucking Tips:

Hold your oyster at the sides, with top facing up at you. If you’re a novice shucker, you can help keep the oyster steady by holding it with a towel, which also helps to prevent getting cut by the oyster shell.

Insert the tip of your shucking tool toward the back of the oyster at the hinge and give it a slight wiggle until the top shell comes off.

Use the shucking tool to lightly scrape the muscle from the top of the shell, and give the meat a push from side to side to loosen from the bottom shell.

Tips for Heating Up Your Sake:

If you have a traditional ceramic sake decanter, you can heat your sake in a hot water bath of boiling water on a stove top.

Other less traditional options such as microwaving or warming it directly in a pan may offend purists, but are suitable options for heating nonetheless.

Look for an ideal temperature window of 104°–122°, but note that the flavor profile of the sake does change with a difference as little as two degrees.