How To Cook Oysters In The Shell Food

RAW OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL

Steps:

• Scrub the oysters under cold water with a stiff brush to remove the dirt, especially in the hinge area where mud has a tendency to get trapped. Next, find a durable thick cloth and fold it over several times to create a square; this will steady the oysters as you shuck them and also protect your hand. Using the towel as a mitt, place the oyster, cup-side down in the palm of your towel-covered hand with the hinge facing you; have a small bowl handy to catch the delicious juice. Insert the tip of an oyster knife or dull butter knife as far into the hinge as it will go; don't jab it in there or you could break the shell. With gentle force, twist the knife back and forth to pry the shell open. Using the knife, cut the muscle away from the top shell, bend the shell back, and discard it. Run the knife underneath the oyster to detach it completely, but leave it in its shell. Tip out the briny liquor into the bowl and pour it back over the shucked oysters. Nestle the oysters in a bed of crushed ice or rock salt to keep them steady. Spoon the Cucumber Mignonette on top and serve as part of a raw shellfish bar.
• In a small bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar, shallots, ginger, cucumber, black pepper, and cilantro; mixing with a fork. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to the day before you plan to serve, to allow the flavors to come together. Serve with raw oysters and clams.

HOW TO GRILL OYSTERS

Steps:

• Preheat grill to high (very important, otherwise they will not get hot enough to pop open the shells).
• Check oysters for freshness by tapping each oyster gently on a work surface to make sure they close their shells when tapped. Discard any oysters that don't close.
• Place the oysters on the grate with the deeper shell down to hold in the juices.
• Grill for 5-8 minutes. Remove each oyster from the grill the second the shell pops open (even if it is ever so slightly open) dumping out the juices onto the coals. Do not delay in removing them from the grill, as they will cook up to nothing!
• Pry off top shells with an oven mitt, pull the oyster off of the top shell. Dump out juices, return oyster to the shell and serve immediately.

OVEN-ROASTED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 475 degrees. Working in batches, arrange oysters in a single layer in a 12-by-16-inch roasting pan fitted with a flat rack. Pour 1/3. inch of hot tap water into pan, and bake for 7 minutes, or until oyster shells have begun to open.
• Using gloves or tongs, transfer oysters to a table covered in newspaper for guests to shuck, garnish and eat while next batch cooks. Add water to pan as necessary, and repeat roasting until all oysters have been served, about 45 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges hot sauce, and sour orange mignonette.