During our visit to New Orleans we decided to try out the Dragos grilled oysters. They were delicious and today I'm making them here at home.
The Dragos charbroiled oysters are have become legendary. It started in 1993 when the restaurant decided to try grilling the oysters (usually served raw) and adding a sauce of garlic, butter, herbs and Parmesan and Romano cheeses. At Dragos they shuck the oysters and grill them on the half shell with the aforementioned sauce mixture.
Today however, I'm grilling them in the shell as the shucking is the hardest part of preparing oysters. Turns out, they open easily when grilled first and you can then just add a dab of compound butter to the hot oyster and it will melt perfectly.
Today I'm using blue point oysters which I procured from Whole Foods at $1.00 each (Amazon Prime member price.) Purchase about six per person if using as a main dish, as I am here. Get a couple extra to account for any little ones or broken shells.
Preheat the grill to medium high, and place the oysters rounded side down (flatter sides up) directly between the grill grates to hold them steady. The oysters will begin to open when cooked (about 3-5 minutes) and you don't want to lose the juice. This is why you place them with the larger, more rounded side down.
When you see a couple open up, the entire batch is done. They will not all pop all the way open but usually a few will. The rest will open just a bit, enough to get a knife inside and the top shell will pull off easily. Those that don't pop all the way open are hard to see but they are done.
Have a clean kitchen towel just next to your grill and pull off the open oysters first, one by one. Set each oyster on the clean towel and turn the other half of the towel over onto the top shell. Run your knife under the top shell to detach the oyster, and peel back the shell pulling it free. The shell will be hot, hence the need for the towel to hold the oyster steady as you remove the top shell. Discard the top shell and repeat with the remaining open oysters. Turn off the grill and proceed to open the remainder. Alternatively you can use oven gloves for this process.
Place the oyster on an oyster plate to hold it level, or on a plate with a deep layer of salt to steady the oyster. Then add a heaping teaspoon of compound butter. Work quickly until all of the oysters are plated. It's a good two person job, with you opening them and someone else adding the butter.
For the compound butter, combine the following.
Butter, softened to room temperature
Shallot, finely chopped
Garlic, finely chopped
Thyme, finely chopped
Cilantro or Parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper
Parmesan and/or Romano cheese, optional
The Dragos charbroiled oysters are have become legendary. It started in 1993 when the restaurant decided to try grilling the oysters (usually served raw) and adding a sauce of garlic, butter, herbs and Parmesan and Romano cheeses. At Dragos they shuck the oysters and grill them on the half shell with the aforementioned sauce mixture.
Today however, I'm grilling them in the shell as the shucking is the hardest part of preparing oysters. Turns out, they open easily when grilled first and you can then just add a dab of compound butter to the hot oyster and it will melt perfectly.
Today I'm using blue point oysters which I procured from Whole Foods at $1.00 each (Amazon Prime member price.) Purchase about six per person if using as a main dish, as I am here. Get a couple extra to account for any little ones or broken shells.
Preheat the grill to medium high, and place the oysters rounded side down (flatter sides up) directly between the grill grates to hold them steady. The oysters will begin to open when cooked (about 3-5 minutes) and you don't want to lose the juice. This is why you place them with the larger, more rounded side down.
When you see a couple open up, the entire batch is done. They will not all pop all the way open but usually a few will. The rest will open just a bit, enough to get a knife inside and the top shell will pull off easily. Those that don't pop all the way open are hard to see but they are done.
Have a clean kitchen towel just next to your grill and pull off the open oysters first, one by one. Set each oyster on the clean towel and turn the other half of the towel over onto the top shell. Run your knife under the top shell to detach the oyster, and peel back the shell pulling it free. The shell will be hot, hence the need for the towel to hold the oyster steady as you remove the top shell. Discard the top shell and repeat with the remaining open oysters. Turn off the grill and proceed to open the remainder. Alternatively you can use oven gloves for this process.
Place the oyster on an oyster plate to hold it level, or on a plate with a deep layer of salt to steady the oyster. Then add a heaping teaspoon of compound butter. Work quickly until all of the oysters are plated. It's a good two person job, with you opening them and someone else adding the butter.
For the compound butter, combine the following.
Butter, softened to room temperature
Shallot, finely chopped
Garlic, finely chopped
Thyme, finely chopped
Cilantro or Parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper
Parmesan and/or Romano cheese, optional
Comments
Post a Comment