If it’s an “R” month here in Charleston, that is, a month that has an “R” in it (think December, January, etc.), you can guarantee that there will be an oyster roast going on somewhere in town. At a traditional oyster roast, everyone stands around a fire pit and a big table (often covered in newspaper) and shucks just-steamed oysters. Here, in addition to our traditional method, I show you how to roast the oysters in the oven and how to make a delicious mignonette to serve with them.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 2 dozen oysters (1/2 cup mignonette) |
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot (about 1 small shallot)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon lime zest plus juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
- One 2- to 3-inch bird’s eye (Thai) chile, sliced (seeds removed if desired)
- 2 dozen fresh oysters
Instructions
- For the mignonette: Stir together the vinegar, shallot, sugar, fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice and chile in a small bowl; set aside and let stand for 1 hour.
- For the oysters: If using an oven, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. To stabilize the oysters, crumble an 18-inch length of parchment paper, then gently smooth it into a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange the oysters on the parchment paper. Roast the oysters until done, 12 to 15 minutes. Shuck the oysters, leaving each oyster and its juices inside one of the oyster halves.
- If using a traditional oyster roast setup, soak burlap sacks in water. Prepare a fire in a fire pit. Place a 2-by-4-foot sheet of metal over the fire. Let the metal stand until it’s hot, about 5 minutes. (The metal is hot enough when water rolls off once splashed on.) Place the oysters on top of the metal and cover in the burlap sacks. Let steam to desired doneness, 8 to 10 minutes. Shuck the oysters, leaving each oyster and its juices inside one of the oyster halves.
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon mignonette on top of each shucked oyster. Serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 24 servings |
| Calories | 45 |
| Total Fat | 1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 25 mg |
| Sodium | 63 mg |