Grilled Oysters
I went on a weekend getaway with my hubby. We went to Tomales Bay north of San Francisco. I love getting out of the city, away to small-town USA. Just a few hours driving takes you into the country side. Point Reyes Station is a small town with all the things you need. A few stores, a hole in the wall coffee shop (Toby's coffee bar makes very good lattes!) and a handful of restaurants using mainly local ingredients.
I hadn't done my research properly, I know that now. I totally missed that we were going to cheese-country, but more about cheese in another post.
The view
The real reason for this trip was to go back to Hog Island Oyster Farm. We went there last year and both of us have been craving their grilled oysters ever since. I know we could get our fix in downtown San Francisco, but it would not be the same. There is something special about sitting on wooden benches eating oysters while enjoying the beautiful view of Tomales Bay.
We brought some oysters back with us. I wanted to try to make these scrumptious grilled oysters at home. And my, oh my, oh my - the home grilled oyster was just as tasty as the ones at Hog Island Oyster Company.
serves 3-4
Ingredients:
12 oysters (small oyster from Hog Island Oyster Company or any local oysters)
1 lemon
Butter:
½ stick (55 g) salted butter, cold
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey
2-3 tablespoons chopped chipotle chilies in adobo-sauce
1 sprinkle of salt
2-3 garlic cloves
And:
1 knife for shucking the oyster (I used a Dexter-Russell)
salt for the serving plate
Direction:
Dissolve the sugar in the bourbon/whiskey. Add all ingredients to the a food-processor and mix until you have a smooth paste. Chill the butter until semi firm.
At the grill:
Heat your grill to a medium heat (400℉/200℃)
Shuck the oysters like in this video.
Place about ½ teaspoon of the butter in the open oyster and place them on the grill. Close the lid and peak a few times for the butter to melt and the liquid to start bubbling, let the oysters bubble away for about a minutes. Remove from the grill and let them cool for a brief moment before eating.