Ok, if you live in the South, you kind of wonder what all these people are doing grilling in the middle of July. Don’t get me wrong, I still do it even though it’s hotter than hades down here. But I love grilling even more during the other seasons, and Fall is my favorite! I recently ordered some oysters, and made these easy grilled oysters with spicy butter sauce. Why are they easy? Because I don’t shuck them before grilling!
Shucking Oysters
I’ve shucked my share of oysters over the years, and, while no expert, I can get some oysters on the plate. That being said, it’s still a major pain to shuck them, and sometimes results in the worst cuts in the kitchen- the dreaded “dull oyster knife stab-wound.” Wowzers, that really hurts. So anyway, I’m not a fan of shucking, so I let them shuck themselves. Just put the oysters on a hot grill, let them cook for a few minutes, and they will open up. I then use my oyster knife to pop them the rest of the way open, and drizzle them with a delicious spicy butter sauce. Yummy!
Serving Grilled Oysters with Spicy Butter Sauce
I serve these on a platter with an extra side of the butter sauce, lemon wedges, and French bread or crackers (I just have to have crackers with oysters for some reason.) These make wonderful appetizers for the family or friends watching a game. I like to really get the grill hot to cook these. You can cook them on a gas grill, but a grill burning some charcoal with a couple of pieces of pecan wood really adds to the dish. The real flavor comes from when you add the butter sauce and let the flames lick around the edge and just slightly caramelizes the butter sauce and the oysters. I cook them a dozen at a time, then lay them out on a platter for everyone to enjoy.
As always, get out there and grill!
Print
Easy Grilled Oysters with Spicy Butter Sauce
Description
Oysters are absolutely delicious when grilled. This spicy butter sauce adds some richness and flavor but still leaves that delicious oyster brininess that is so good. Leave the shucking behind by letting the oysters open on the grill and you’ll have an easy, tasty appetizer!
Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS minced Italian Parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
3 TBS good parmesan, grated
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Flake salt, for sprinkling on the oysters after cooking
Pepper, to taste
Instructions
Fire up the grill! For grilling oysters, you’ll need it to run medium-hot to hot. I like to add a couple of pieces of pecan wood to add some smoke flavor.
Melt the butter, then add other ingredients and stir.
Place the oysters on the girl. I wear a heat glove, on one hand, to grab the oysters when they begin to open up. Using an oyster knife, pop the top shell off, slice through the muscle (only if you have a nice shell that will sit nicely on the grill,) and spoon a 1/2 TBS of the butter mixture on the oyster. Continue to cook fro 203 minutes, or until they start to plump up and look opaque. Place on a platter. Lightly sprinkle with flake salt, if desired.
Serve with extra butter sauce, French bread or crackers, and lemon wedges.
Where do you order your oysters from?
We’re close to the gulf, so a lot of times I can get fresh gulf oysters. I only eat those during certain months (those that have the letter r in them.) Other than that, there are several good online purveyors of oysters- Fulton Fish Market, Taylor Shellfish Farms, etc. You can usually get a different variety of oysters ordering from them. For grilled oysters, I like “deep cup” oysters, like Miyagi or Blue Points.