Oyster Recipes

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Ingredients

1 pound (four sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup bourbon

⅔ cup peeled garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 10-ounce can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped

50 oysters

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, dissolve the brown sugar into the bourbon. Combine the butter, brown sugar/bourbon mixture, and other ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. It will remain a bit lumpy in texture. Use a food processor, if desired.
2. On a piece of parchment paper, pile the butter mixture along the center, working to form a “log”. Wrap the butter mixture and fold it into a log-shape. Refrigerate for at least an hour. The finished roll should be the dimension of a cube of butter, but about a foot long. (Note: While the butter log makes for ease of use when cooking, storing the butter in the mixing bowl and scooping it out by the spoonful is just as effective.)
3. While the grill warms to medium heat, remove the butter mixture from the refrigerator and shuck the oysters. Cut butter into thin pats—about ¼ inch—and place a piece on each shucked oyster before placing the oysters on the grill. Wait for the butter to melt and start to bubble and allow the oysters sizzle for about one minute. Once the oysters and butter have bubbled, remove them from the grill. Let them cool for a moment and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Hog Island Oyster Company.

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Ingredients

1 pound raw, shucked oysters

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 large egg

1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs

4 cups salad with dressing of choice

Directions

1. Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Add the flour, kosher salt, and black pepper to a small bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Add the egg to its own small bowl; add panko breadcrumbs to another small bowl.
4. Dredge both sides of each oyster in flour, then egg, and finally panko breadcrumbs. Set aside.
5. Add coated oysters in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook on one side for 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Flip oysters and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Cook in batches until all are done.
8. Serve on top of salad or as oyster burgers.

Tip: For more browning, lightly coat the oysters with olive oil cooking spray before placing them in the air fryer basket.

Recipe courtesy of North Carolina Sea Grant, developed in partnership with the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences for North Carolina Sea Grant’s Mariner's Menu.

Ingredients

Grain Mustard Aioli

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2 egg yolks

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon champagne vinegar

2 teaspoons whole grain mustard

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Angels on Horseback

9 slices bacon

18 medium to large oysters, shucked

4 lemon wedges

¼ cup of Grain Mustard Aioli

Directions

Grain Mustard Aioli

1. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, puree the yolks, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, and mustard until combined.
2. Scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula and pulse a few more times to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
3. With the food processor running, slowly add the oils in a thin stream through the tube and let them emulsify with the yolks. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a few drops of cold water and continue adding the oil. The finished aioli should easily coat a spoon.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days.

Angels on Horseback

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the bacon slices flat on a baking sheet with about ½ inch between them. Bake until slightly crispy but still pliable enough to wrap around the oysters, 15 to 18 minutes.
3. Remove the bacon from the oven and turn up the oven to 425 degrees.
4. Let the bacon cool slightly, then cut the slices in half crosswise. Wrap each shucked oyster with a bacon slice and secure by pushing a toothpick through the oyster. Place on a clean baking sheet.
5. Bake the wrapped oysters until the bacon is crisp and the oysters are warmed through, about 6 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and aioli on the side.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Jeremy Sewall, adapted from The Row34 Cookbook: Stories and Recipes from a Neighborhood Oyster Bar.

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Ingredients

Garlic Oil

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or grated

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon salt

Black pepper

Pizza

1 serving pizza dough

½ ball fresh mozzarella, sliced

⅓ cup parmesan, finely grated

1 3-ounce can of high-quality smoked oysters

1 ½ cups bitter greens (e.g., arugula, frisée)

1 teaspoon vinegar, or a squeeze of lemon juice

Olive oil

Directions

1. Make the garlic oil by heating the olive oil over medium-low heat and adding the garlic. Cook until the garlic is golden, but be careful not to let it burn. Swirl the oregano and red pepper flakes into the oil and take off the heat. Pour the garlic oil into a bowl and mix in salt and black pepper to taste.
2. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Oil a baking sheet and stretch the dough out to the edges, taking care not to push all the air out of the dough.
4. Coat the dough with a thin layer of the garlic oil. You'll probably have some extra; reserve at least 1 tablespoon.
5. Add the mozzarella, smoked oysters, and parmesan. Pop the pizza into the oven. Cook until the pizza is bubbling and golden.
6. While the pizza is cooking, dress your salad with 1 tablespoon of the reserved garlic oil and vinegar or lemon juice.
7. Let the pizza cool slightly, cut, then top with dressed greens.

Recipe courtesy of Abby Rogerson at Washington Sea Grant. For more great seafood recipes, visit Discover West Coast Seafood: A Recipe Series.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sweet butter

1 leek root with green tops trimmed

1 cup lump crabmeat picked over for any remaining bits of shell

1 pint oysters with their liquor

½ cup white wine

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

1. Butter four scallop shells (or small ovenproof dishes) and set aside. Quarter the leek, rinse it under running water, and pat dry. Chop the leek to measure about 1 cup. Over low heat, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, add the leek and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the crab meat. Spread the mixture on each of the scallop shells.
2. Put the oysters in a small saucepan with their liquor, the wine, and the lemon juice. Poach them just until their edges begin to curl. With a slotted spoon to drain them, place the oysters on the crab mixture, dividing them among the four shells. Over high heat, reduce the liquid remaining in the pan to about ⅓ cup, skimming the surface as it boils down. Add the cream and reduce further, until the sauce is thick and concentrated in flavor. Season delicately with salt and pepper, and spoon the sauce over the oysters.
3. Just before serving, preheat the broiler and run the dishes under it briefly, only enough to glaze them.
4. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

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2 cups oysters, drained, coarsely chopped, liquid reserved

2 sleeves saltine crackers, crushed

½ cup butter

½ cup onion, chopped

½ cup green onions, including tops, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Melt the butter and add the onion, green onions, and celery and lightly sauté. Remove from heat.
3. Add the cream, thyme, salt and pepper.
4. In a large bowl, combine crushed crackers and vegetable mix.
5. Add the oysters to the bowl and toss lightly. Add reserved oyster liquid until stuffing is moist, about ¼ of a cup.
6. Place in a shallow greased baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until done through and crusty on top, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Mariner’s Menu: 30 Years of Fresh Seafood Ideas by Joyce Taylor, 2003, North Carolina Sea Grant.

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Ingredients

1 cup chopped oysters

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup flour

¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Directions

1. Mix together the chopped oysters, beaten egg, and seasonings.
2. Add just enough flour to hold the mixture together.
3. Drop by spoonful into hot grease and fry until golden-brown.

Recipe courtesy of North Carolina Sea Grant, contributed in 1983 by the late Eloise Pigott of Gloucester, North Carolina. From: North Carolina Sea Grant Mariner's Menu.

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