Grilled Oysters With Lemony Garlic-Herb Butter
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:24 oysters
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into pats
- 1ounce fresh parsley leaves (about 1 packed cup), roughly chopped
- 1ounce fresh basil leaves (about 1 packed cup)
- 6medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 1lemon, zested and juiced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 24oysters, scrubbed clean of any sand or grit under cool running water.
For the Garlic-herb Butter
For the Oysters
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
78 calories; 5 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 146 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Ignite a full chimney of coals and spread out under one side of the grill once they are fully covered in gray ash, or heat half the burners of a gas grill to high. Cover and let the grill heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut off a sheet of aluminum foil twice the length of a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Crumple it up so that it fits into the baking sheet. The crumpled foil should be able to support the cupped side of the oysters without allowing them to tip over.
- Step 2
Prepare the garlic-herb butter: In a food processor, combine the butter, parsley, basil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Process until the herbs are finely chopped and there are no large chunks of butter remaining, about 30 seconds total, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor with a rubber spatula a few times as needed. Transfer the mixture to a small, oven-safe saucepan.
- Step 3
Using tongs, arrange the oysters over the hot side of the grill, placing them with the cupped sides down, doing your best to set them in the grates so that oyster juices don’t pour out of the cups as they open. Cover and cook, checking on them every minute or so, and transferring any oysters that have begun to gape open to the foil-lined baking sheet. After a total of 4 minutes, transfer any remaining oysters to the foil whether they have opened or not. Place the saucepan on the cooler side of the grill.
- Step 4
As soon as the oysters are cool enough to handle, pry off the top shells with a butter knife or oyster knife, severing through the muscle that holds the oyster to the shell and retaining as much juice in the shell as possible. For oysters that aren’t already gaping open, the easiest way to pry off the lids is by inserting the tip of the knife into the joint and firmly twisting it until the joint releases.
- Step 5
Spoon a generous teaspoon of the garlic-herb butter (which should be fully melted by now) into each oyster, then return the oysters directly onto the grates on the hot side of the grill. Cook, uncovered, until the sauce mixture is bubbling hot, about 1 minute. Return the oysters to the foil-lined baking sheet and serve immediately.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Paulette
I use a cast iron oyster pan for grilling which prevents the oysters from falling over. The pan can also be put in the freezer to serve raw oysters on the half shell. I got mine at William Sonoma, not at all expensive but I am sure you could find it elsewhere.
Ole
If you do not have a grill, use the oven broiler (5min.). Shucking oysters is not that hard, there are plenty of videos to learn from and it will become another kitchen skill. I use a stainless steel wire rack designed to keep the oyster upright placed on a sided baking pan to catch the overflows which will happen. Guests have most liked my grilled oysters prepared with butter, a tad of minced garlic and a coating of Parmesan cheese. I have tried all sorts of other mixes but simple seems better.
lasagnaqueen
Simple, easy, and delicious. We make this recipe just about every time we go to the Oregon coast. If there's no grill where we're staying, we've found that the oven works just fine.
Maggie
Very good! We shucked the oysters first & added the butter sauce. Cooked on a gas grill for 4 min.
Kate
A version of this recipe has a long history in New Orleans (“charbroiled oysters” most famously of Drago’s)
julie
If you do not have a grill, use the oven broiler (5min.). Shucking oysters is not that hard, there are plenty of videos to learn from and it will become another kitchen skill. I use a stainless steel wire rack designed to keep the oyster upright placed on a sided baking pan to catch the overflows which will happen. Guests have most liked my grilled oysters prepared with butter, a tad of minced garlic and a coating of Parmesan cheese.
drtel
This was tremendous!! The oysters popped open easily on the grill and taking off the top shell with an oyster knife was a breeze. The lemon herb-butter was delicious and when put back into the oyster cups for another minute to bubble the overall result was devine! We served this with crusty bread and a side salad for a light late summer meal but over pasta would also be delicious. Anything to soak up the rest of the luscious sauce. Definitely suggest a dozen per person as serving size!
New York George
What if you just remove all the cooked oysters to a bowl. Let the liquor escape into the bowl and reserve. Remove the top shells and spoon an appropriate amount of the lost juices from owl into the oyster cups. Add the butter and done.
Jennie
I had doubts when my oysters were on the grill--how was I supposed to shuck hot oysters?--but they cooled off fast and the shucking was fine, though I was clumsy and lost a lot of juice. With the sauce, they were divine. For the post-shucking grilling, I left them in the pan with foil (pan on grill) & put the grill lid down - they need longer than 1 minute that way but less messy and it worked great. Also very pleased with my decision to serve them with grilled flatbread to mop up all the juice.
joannar
Sadly this was a total fail for us. Followed the directions to the letter but only one actually popped open. The butter was delicious and we used it on filets later in the evening. Which oysters did you all use? We used “happy roasters” from Whole Foods- have never gotten a bad oyster from WF before. So bummed.
Sigmund1
Oyster pans are probably overrated. Does one really need a special pan? Better to develop confidence around a fire with a long pair of tongs.
Sigmund1
I shuck my oysters first and remove any impurities, sometimes even rinsing the oyster if I see mud. Purists will say that rinsing removes all the oyster juices, but the oyster will release more juices after it’s rinsed, and the purity of the taste makes up for any lost juices. I then put my garlic/butter/olive oil/salt/pepper/herbs sauce on the oysters and arrange them directly over the coals, allowing one oyster to support another so they remain relatively level. Remove to a plate when cooked.
Max Alexander
There should not be impurities or mud inside oysters, they are not like clams. Rinsing an oyster is a felony in Maine where I lived for 20 years.
Ole
If you do not have a grill, use the oven broiler (5min.). Shucking oysters is not that hard, there are plenty of videos to learn from and it will become another kitchen skill. I use a stainless steel wire rack designed to keep the oyster upright placed on a sided baking pan to catch the overflows which will happen. Guests have most liked my grilled oysters prepared with butter, a tad of minced garlic and a coating of Parmesan cheese. I have tried all sorts of other mixes but simple seems better.
Max Alexander
For grilling I use massive fist-sized specimens we harvest ourselves along the Maine coast, and they are brutally hard to shuck, so pre-heating to open is a timesaver.
Carol
Can this be used when grilling fish like swordfish or tilapia?
Joyce
Saved for the lemony garlic herb butter
Tbone
I purchased oyster pan that has scalloped oyster size holes and is cast iron for grilling. Purchased at Amazon.
Paulette
I use a cast iron oyster pan for grilling which prevents the oysters from falling over. The pan can also be put in the freezer to serve raw oysters on the half shell. I got mine at William Sonoma, not at all expensive but I am sure you could find it elsewhere.
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