One of my favourite things to do in New Orleans is pull up a chair at an oyster bar, order a cold drink, and happily put away a dozen or two grilled oysters. At home, I’ve experimented with heavier versions of the dish that involve heapings of breadcrumbs and cheese and browning various toppings under the oven broiler. But my favourite way to cook oysters in the summertime is inspired by a simple, classic recipe in New Orleans-based chef and restaurateur Donald Link’s book Real Cajun.
Basically, you shuck some oysters, put a spoonful of compound butter on top, and grill it until the juices and butter are bubbling and the meat is just barely cooked and a little smoky.
Some people like to skip shucking when they’re grilling and just let the heat of the coals do the work, popping the oysters open. This works just fine, but it means the oyster meat is almost steamed through by the time you add the butter, and the meat doesn’t get hit directly with so much smoke.
I prefer shucking because it gives you more control over how far you cook the meat, and as a bonus, you get the chance to loosen the oyster from the shell, so everyone can slurp it back somewhat gracefully. Serve with a little crusty bread and extra compound butter melted on the side or just plain, right off the grill.
Grilled oysters with garlic-chili butter
Adapted from Donald Link’s Real Cajun
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
2 anchovy fillets
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 tbs Sriracha
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
230g butter at room temperature
16 oysters
Steps
Finely mince the garlic and anchovies, then put them in a stand mixer with lemon zest and juice, Sriracha, and cayenne, and mix until smooth. Scrape all the butter onto a piece of parchment paper, roll it up into a log, and refrigerate until needed.
Prepare the grill. As it heats, rinse and shuck the oysters and discard the top shells. Place a pat of butter on each and arrange the oysters on the hot grill, using a sheet of scrunched foil to keep the shells steady if needed. Cook until the juices are bubbling, the edges of the oyster are browning and curling, but the meat is still plump and soft.
Serve immediately with additional lemon wedges and some of the extra melted garlic-chili butter on the side.
