An Affinity for Oysters

I haven’t been able to talk about or eat an oyster for about six months, the story of which I’ll save for another time. But on this day my subconscious nudged me toward a pile of oysters while walking past the seafood counter at the grocery store and said, “Don’t you think it’s been long enough?” And with that, I found myself buying fancy oysters with names I can’t recall. Hubby still can’t eat them, so I had my fill of these delicious roasted oysters on the half shell with prosciutto, cilantro and a shallot-sherry drizzle on top all by my lonesome.

My affinity for oysters dates back a while. When my parents lived around these parts and I was a newlywed, we would celebrate ‘Seafood Sunday’ every week. My Dad and I would buy a giant bag of oysters from the local oyster supplier and BBQ until every last one was popped open with a sizzle and snort.

My parents later moved to sunnier locales and ‘Seafood Sunday’ fell by the wayside. So I took up scraping them off slippery stones in Strawberry Bay on Cypress Island. With my screwdriver and bucket in hand, I would wake up in the morning when the tide was low and forage for my favorite island snack. My husband would start a beach bonfire and I would roast my oysters and eat every last one.

My six-month hiatus over, these oysters remind me of earlier times I treasure with family. Now I just need to get hubby back on the oyster board.

Oysters (fancy or not) w/ Prosciutto, Cilantro and Sherry-Shallot Drizzle

You will need:

Oysters – it doesn’t matter how many

Cilantro – 1 bunch

Prosciutto – you can never have enough

Sherry – splash

Olive Oil – 1 TB.

Shallots – 1 sliced and diced

How to cook this dish:

Set your BBQ on high, place the oysters on the grill. Meanwhile cook the prosciutto in a pan on the stove until crispy like bacon (although it won’t take that long). Chop your cilantro and set aside for garnish. Saute shallots in the same pan you cooked the prosciutto in until they are caramelized.  Mix together the olive oil and sherry, add shallots to mixture.

When the oysters start to sizzle and snort, with your heat protective glove ( I use whatever I can find), pick one up and see if the top and bottom shells have separated. This is a sign that the top shell is ready to be popped off with a screwdriver (flat head works best). Once the top shell is popped off, drizzle the sherry shallot dressing over each one and close the lid. Continue to cook the oysters until they are done to your liking. Take them off the grill, drizzle with more dressing, eat, enjoy, repeat.

Of course, you could also add butter to these, and they will taste heavenly, but with the amount I can pack away, I’m trying to eat light.

Let me know how these turn out!