Even though the sun has been shining hotter than ever, I still can’t help but feel that summer is coming to an end. School has gone back in full swing, the evenings are getting dark earlier and cooling off much faster which has told my mind that fall is just around the corner. Or maybe it’s the fact that I just purchased some Halloween decorations from Wal Mart last week.  Either way, I feel like I need to squeeze in a few more bbq sessions in before all the propane runs out and the cover comes on for the winter.

One of my last bbq sessions was last Friday when I had a craving for bbq’d oysters. Oysters are apparently better in months that include the letter “r” so why not fulfill this craving now that we’re in September.  Last time we bbq’d oysters I made these grilled oysters in a spicy lime vodka sauce and fell in love with preparing them on a bbq. Typically we eat our oysters raw with horseradish or hot sauce but the concept of adding ingredients to them is not only fun, but also extremely tasty.

The first type we made were Oysters Casino, adapted by Tyler Florence.

Ingredients

• 4 strips bacon
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped celery (I omitted)
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest and juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 dozen large (approximately 4 inches) West Coast oysters on the half shell
• 1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Lay bacon out on a roasting pan in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes until just crispy — remember they will be going back into the oven with the oysters so you don’t want to finish the bacon just yet.

While the bacon is cooking, place the butter, garlic, shallots, bell pepper, celery, lemon zest and juice, oregano, thyme, and chilli flakes in a food processor; pulse until well combined, but still has texture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove bacon from oven and cut up into pieces.

Lay oysters in their half shells out on a large tray.  Place 1 tablespoon of the casino butter mixture on top of each oyster and place a piece of bacon on each. BBQ oysters medium high heat, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Finish with finely chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley and serve.

 

 

The second type of oysters we made was Parmesan Lemon Oysters.

• 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 6 tbsp. finely grated Parmesan
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• Dash of Tabasco or Franks per Oyster
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Lay Oysters in their half shells out on a large tray. Place 1/2 tsp of butter on each oyster, approx 1 tsp lemon juice per oyster, dash of hot sauce, small pinch of fresh chopped parsley and 1 tbsp of parmesan per oyster. BBQ oysters on medium high heat, approximately 10 to 12 minutes, until cheese bubbles and browns.

Both of the oysters were absolutely delicious. We ate them with some rustic bread to soak up any briny butter left in any of the shells. This fulfilled my craving for oysters more than I expected and I can’t wait to do this again! There are many more months with the letter “r” ahead of me!