Michael Symon's Grilled Oysters

Few things are more sublime than the raw oyster, whether it is the iconic Kumamoto from Washington's Puget Sound or the lesser-known Chincoteague Salts from the Chesapeake Bay. There is something, in my humble opinion, about taste of oysters, especially those that have a briny little bite to them, that just speaks to me. 

For this reason, I usually order raw oysters in the restaurant; or, even better yet, I purchase some from a local aqua farm and shuck them myself.  And, as is evident to anyone who follows this blog, I usually serve them with a mignonette, such as my Peach Champagne Mignonette, or as shooters, like my gazpacho, Andalusian-Style Oyster Shooters.

Recently, I purchased a new grill and I decided it was time to try grilled oysters. So, I purchased some Chincoteague Salt oysters and set out to find a good grilled oyster recipe on the Internet. Fortunately, I was able to find a recipe from one of the few chefs that I admire. That chef is Michael Symon.

One of the many reasons that I admire Chef Symon is his ability to simplify recipes and the cooking process to enable people to make really good food in a way that is easy to understand. His 5 in 5 cookbooks are great examples of his ability. More recently, drawing upon his personal experiences, Chef Symon has used skills to author a cookbook entitled Fix it with Food. This book is designed to help people with autoimmune issues (Chef Symon has publicly acknowledged his rheumatoid arthritis and discoid lupus conditions). The recipes enable people to cook simple and delicious recipes that are targeted to address their triggers (whether it is meat, dairy, etc.). Chef Symon has another Fix it with Food book coming out in the near future with an appropriate subtitle, Every Meal Easy. That book is set to be released on December 7, 2021.

Source: Food Network

This grilled oyster recipe is an excellent example of Chef Symon's skills terms of communicating and teaching a recipe in a way that makes it easy to prepare and produces a very delicious meal. Each element and technique is straight forward. A quick sauce consisting primarily of butter, shallots and garlic, with some crushed red pepper and some parsley.  A quick roast of the oysters over a hot grill. Once the oysters are done, dress them with the sauce and the dish is ready to be served. The recipe is easy enough; however, the hardest part is waiting for those oysters to open. I have to admit that I watched them carefully, worrying that they may end up overcooked. In the end, I pulled a few off before they opened and just opened them with an oyster knife. 

In the end, I still prefer my oysters served raw with a side of a mignonette or some freshly grated horseradish.  If I decide to have some cooked oysters, this grilled oyster recipe is the way to go.

MICHAEL SYMON'S GRILLED OYSTERS

Recipe available at Cooking Channel

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 16 oysters
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chile pepper flakes
• Salt
• Cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare the sauce. Heat a saucepan over medium low heat.  When hot, add the butter and olive oil.  Add the garlic and shallots and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the parsley, lemon zest, and juice, chile pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.

2. Grill the oysters. Place the oysters on the hot grill until they pop open, about 2 minutes.  Carefully remove the the top shells (BBQ gloves make this much easier, a thick kitchen towel is a good substitute). Spoon some sauce over top of each oyster and serve.

ENJOY!