YUM!!! I LOVE fresh oysters. Chilled, on the half shell with a dousing of lemon juice and a bit of hot sauce, horseradish or cocktail sauce. There's something oh-so-oceany and somewhat textravagant about them. Oysters and champagne, anyone?
As fab as they are just chillin', some of the BEST oysters I have ever had were BBQ'd. There's a teeny tiny town on the Northern CA coast called MARSHALL....and a teeny old shack of a store / restaurant the serves up the most incredible oysters. The fact that the oysters are farmed right there, on Tomales Bay, sure doesn't hurt....
Their recipe is similar to this one, which I found on the net at simplyrecipes.com
Grilled Oysters Recipe
Ingredients
Makes 16 oysters
* 16 whole live oysters
* 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes (or substitute with dashes of Tabasco)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* cracked black pepper to taste
* 1 tablespoon finely minced parsley
Method
Heat a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the butter. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, chili pepper flakes, salt, pepper and parsley. Turn off heat.
How to grill oysters
If you can find large, fat oysters, you can place the oysters directly on the grill grates. It's best to wear long, sturdy BBQ gloves so you can handle the oysters by hand instead of using tongs, spoons or spatula. However, if the oysters are small and flat, you'll run the risk of spilling its valuable, flavorful juices as well as the garlic-butter sauce. You can do what I've done, which is to place the oysters on a bed of rock salt or rice in a small pan -- and then placing the entire pan inside the grill or under a broiler. This steadies the oysters and prevents them from wobbling.
If you are a shuckmeister
Shuck the oysters, spoon a little sauce in each oyster. Place oysters on a very hot, preheated grill, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the edges of oysters curl slightly.
If you can't shuck
Place the oysters, cup side up on a very hot, preheated grill, cover and cook for 1 minute. The oysters should now be slightly open. Quickly remove the oysters. Hold an oyster with an oven mitt and use a shucking knife (or a clean screwdriver if you don't have one) to pry open the oyster. It should easily open. Spoon sauce into each oyster and return oysters to the grill. Cover and grill 4-5 minutes.
*****
I like to serve them on clear glass plates lined with rock salt so the oysters don't tip over and spill all that wonderful juice out. Garnish with a lemon wedge for color and flavor. Don't forget the crusty french or sourdough bread to mop up all of the juices.
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