American
Grilled Oysters Mignonette
Freshly opened Pacific oysters, grilled in the shell — the sea made warm and magnificent.
Recipe by Cyman Huang
Cooked, styled and photographed in his kitchen.
The Pacific Northwest produces some of the world's finest oysters — Kumamoto, Olympia, Pacific, and Shigoku varieties grown in the cold, clean waters of Puget Sound and the Oregon coast.
Grilled oysters are simultaneously the easiest and most impressive shellfish preparation you can execute: the oysters open themselves over the grill heat, and a spoonful of compound butter melted into the brine tastes like the sea concentrated into a single perfect bite. If you are not confident shucking, grilling them unopened until they pop is an excellent and safe technique.
Watch it come together
Ingredients
For the oysters
- 24 fresh Pacific oysters, scrubbed
- Rock salt or crushed ice (for serving)
- Lemon wedges
- Crusty bread
Mignonette compound butter
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tbsp shallots, very finely minced
- 3 tbsp champagne or white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Method
- 1
MAKE THE MIGNONETTE BUTTER: Combine all butter ingredients and mix thoroughly. Taste — it should be tangy, peppery, and fragrant. Roll in plastic wrap into a cylinder and refrigerate until firm.
- 2
SHUCK (optional): Using an oyster knife and a thick towel, insert the knife tip into the hinge, apply firm pressure, and twist to pop it. Slide the knife along the top shell to detach the muscle, remove the top shell, and cut the bottom muscle. Keep the deep cup shell intact with all the oyster liquid.
- 3
GRILL SETUP: Prepare a very hot grill (500°F+). For shucked oysters, place a teaspoon of mignonette butter on each and set cup-side down on the grate. For unshucked oysters, place them flat-side up directly on the grate.
- 4
GRILL: Shucked oysters need 2–3 minutes until the butter bubbles and the edges just begin to curl. Unshucked oysters need 4–5 minutes until they pop open (discard any that don't); add a teaspoon of butter to each once open.
- 5
SERVE: Arrange oysters on a platter of rock salt or crushed ice to keep them level. Eat immediately, right off the grill, with a squeeze of lemon and a piece of crusty bread.
Substitutions
- Chef's tip: buy the freshest oysters from a fishmonger you trust and use them the day you buy them. Shells should be tightly closed or close when tapped — discard any that stay open.
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