Grilled Farm-Style Oysters
from Jairemarie Pomo, Author of The Hog Island Oyster Lover's Cookbook: A Guide to Choosing and Savoring Oysters, with 40 Recipes (Ten Speed Press May 2007)
At the farm on Tomales Bay, Hog Island hosts hundreds of picnics each year, rain or shine. Grilling oysters at the farm is a tradition, and when there is a catered event, this colorful, savory topping is often requested. While the coals are heating, shuck the oysters and make the sauce. Get everything ready, because once the oysters are on the grill, everything comes together quickly. Grilled over indirect heat, the oysters cook in their liquor and the sauce, their cupped bottom shells like little, individual stew pots.
Makes 24; serves 6 as an appetizer or 4 as a main course
INGREDIENTS:
Note: You will need rock salt to cook the oysters
2 dozen small (3 to 4 inches long) Pacific oysters, scrubbed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 large shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and finely chopped
1 Anaheim chili, seeded, deribbed, and finely chopped
3 plum (Roma) tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
PREPARATION:
1. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill. Pour rock salt on a rimmed platter. Shuck the oysters, removing the flat top shell and loosening the oyster from the bottom shell; leave the oyster in the shell, reserving as much liquor as you can in the shell. Nestle the oysters in the rock salt to keep them from tipping.
2. For the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the olive oil, butter, and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until the brown sugar is dissolved. Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, but keep warm.
3. When the coals are covered with a fine coat of ash, push them to the sides of the fuel bed. Place the oysters on the center of the grill and spoon 1 tablespoon of the sauce onto each oyster. Cover the grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the liquor and sauce are bubbling. Take care not to overcook; it’s okay to peek at 3 minutes. Quickly sprinkle the parsley on the oysters, then quickly transfer them back to the rock salt. Serve immediately.