My grilled oysters with green garlic butter dish looks as green and springy as your backyard at this time of year.
You may be familiar with the flavors in this butter from the classic french escargots a la bourguignonne. And, if I was a betting woman, I’d be willing to bet that 90 percent of folks who love snails love this dish because of the rich green garlicky butter. That’s definitely my fascination with it. But this butter isn’t just for escargots — it makes amazing grilled oysters and the ultimate garlic bread.
If you are digging your own oysters, you may still want to heed the no “R” months advice of not eating oysters during the months of May through August, those months without an “R” in the name.
But if you are buying oysters from a fish store or the grocery store, you can feel free to eat oysters all year long as they are more than likely being commercially raised and they are safe. In fact, my favorite time of year to eat grilled oysters is spring and early summer.
I like to grill oysters on the half shell which makes for both a pretty presentation and failsafe cooking. The tough shell protects the delicate oysters from the hot fire, tempering the heat and transferring it through the shell. The oyster simmers in its own juices mixed with the cooking liquid from a marinade, sauce or compound butter. This is just the right temperature, and will not result in overcooked, rubbery oysters unless you leave them on the grill too long.
GRILLED OYSTERS WITH GREEN GARLIC BUTTER
Servings: 4 appetizer-sized portions
Start to finish: 15 minutes
1 dozen shucked oysters
Green garlicky butter (recipe below)
Hot sauce for serving
Lemon wedges for serving
GREEN GARLIC BUTTER (a.k.a. ESCARGOT BUTTER)
1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
1 small shallot, grated
1/2 teaspoon granulated or dehydrated garlic
2-4 teaspoons dry white wine, such as a French Burgundy or French-style Chardonnay, depending on taste
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
Chef’s note: When I make this for the grilled oyster recipe above, I drop generous and equal spoonsful of the soft butter on a piece of parchment paper and place it in the freezer to harden. This way, the butter is already portioned out for each oyster. You can do this in advance and place the individual butter patties in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Chef’s note: Grating garlic with a microplane provides a garlic paste that is more easily mixed into the butter.
Nutrition information per serving: 284 calories; 183 calories from fat; 21 g fat (12 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 121 mg cholesterol; 415 mg sodium; 9 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 15 g protein.
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