Valentine’s Day is this weekend and I have been testing out some new recipes for that special day and since oysters are a common food for Valentine’s Day I started with some chargrilled oysters. I first had chargrilled oysters when I visited New Orleans a few years ago and they were one of the dishes that I ate while there that really stuck out in my mind so it seemed only natural to try to make them at home. Chargrilled oysters are basically oysters on the half shell that are filled with a lemony, garlicky, butter sauce, topped with cheese and chargrilled until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown. You really cannot go wrong with a sauce like that and they are usually served with bread so that you can soak up all of that buttery sauces goodness! If you don’t have a grill, or you just don’t feel like firing it up or if it’s buried under 2 feet of snow you can charbroil them instead; they won’t be quite the same but they will still be amazing and you can always add a touch of liquid smoke to the butter sauce to get that smoky/charred flavour. Although a bit decadent these chargrilled oysters are perfect for a special occasion like Valentine’s Day and they make an amazing appetizer before the main event!
Mardi Gras is next week and these chargrilled oysters are a great way to bring a little bit of New Orleans into your home to celebrate!
Look at all of that buttery goodness!
Chargrilled Oysters
Oysters on the half shell done NOLA style, filled with a lemony, garlicky, butter sauce that are topped with cheese and chargrilled until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown. (Serve with crusty bread to soak up all of that buttery saucy goodness!)
ingredients
- 1 stick butter, room temperature or melted
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (~1/2 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
- salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 12 oysters on the half shell
- 1/2 cup pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
directions
- Mix the butter, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, cheese, salt, pepper, cayenne and parsley and set aside.
- Place the oysters on a preheated 350F/180C grill, let cook until the juice start to bubble, spoon in ~1 tablespoon of the butter mixture onto each oyster, sprinkle on the cheese and cook until the cheese is golden brown.
- Sprinkle on the parsley and serve immediately with extra butter, lemon wedges, hot sauce and bread.
Jenny says
February 9, 2015 at 1:09 pmBeautiful oysters Kevin!! Lovely photos too!
Maria says
February 9, 2015 at 1:59 pmGreat recipe for Valentine's Day!
Amy in Austin says
February 9, 2015 at 2:04 pmI'm so glad you posted this! We were in NoLa recently, and had chargrilled oysters at Acme. They were truly life changing. I can't wait to try this version at home.
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
February 9, 2015 at 2:13 pmoh my gawd, Kevin!!!! These oysters look amazing!!! love love love this! I need to get some oysters like today so I can make this!
Megan says
February 9, 2015 at 2:23 pmLooks amazing really! I want to try them!
Heather Christo says
February 9, 2015 at 2:54 pmI had no idea that Oysters were a Louisiana thing!? I just learned something new! They look just mouthwateringly good!
Grandbabycakes says
February 9, 2015 at 3:41 pmThese oysters look absolutely fantastic. Yep thanks for teaching something new too. Love these!
Gaby says
February 9, 2015 at 3:50 pmOh wow! These oysters are gorgeous!!!
Julie @ Table for Two says
February 9, 2015 at 4:29 pmOmg, I'm dying. These look AMAZING and totally something I'd gobble up!
Trish @ Well Worn Fork says
February 9, 2015 at 8:45 pmLast time I had oysters like this was last summer in Washington. You're totally making me miss it all!
We Are Not Martha says
February 9, 2015 at 8:56 pmWow, these are seriously impressive!! Perfect for Valentine's Day 🙂
Sues
Catherine says
February 10, 2015 at 2:41 amThe oysters look wonderful. It is a perfect dish to serve on Valentine's Day. They look delicious.
marla {Family Fresh Cooking} says
February 10, 2015 at 3:21 pmI love oysters, but these are over the top fabulous Kevin!
Globalspiced says
February 10, 2015 at 8:19 pmThat looks delicious. You have mentioned "…oysters are a common food for Valentine's Day…" I didn't know that. Thanks for great news. I love oysters and I love VD. Maybe you should add some chili in order to spice up the experience?! 😉
kevin says
February 10, 2015 at 11:28 pmGlobalspiced: There is some chili in the form of "cayenne to taste" in the recipe but you could use your favourite hot sauce or other form of chili heat.
Rachel says
March 5, 2015 at 2:21 pmWe made these last night and they were delicious! We'll definitely need to practice our oyster shucking skills so we can have them more often – thanks, Kevin! 🙂
Unknown says
February 26, 2017 at 6:12 amThese were perfect, tasted just like the chargrilled ostyers you can find in the French Quarter. Thank you for the recipe, I have been seaching for a match to Nola ostyers and this was it. I had family members new to ostyers licking their shells clean.
Phil Wade says
February 14, 2018 at 7:24 amI remember when Drago's in Metairie came up with these. They had just been a good Greek restaurant but these catapulted them into one of NOLA's favorites. One thing that will make it a little easier: Put a layer of rock salt in a rimmed sheet pan. Put the oysters on the salt and it will be much easier to put them on the grill and take them off without spilling any of the "juice."
iceblue says
April 8, 2018 at 8:37 pmis the calorie count for 6 oysters or 12?
kevin says
April 10, 2018 at 5:06 pmiceblue: That is per 6 oysters, assuming that you consume every last drop of the butter sauce! And it is good! Enjoy!
Janice says
August 7, 2018 at 3:42 pmThese are spectacular! A couple of times a month, we do raw oysters with lemon & hot sauce appetizers on a Saturday night. Decided to try this for a change and oyster night has now officially been elevated! Thanks for this recipe!