Grilled Oysters with Compound Butter

Last October, my fiancé went on the most fun foodie trip to New Orleans together. While I knew NOLA was known for their distinctive history and culture, I was so blown away by the city's amazing cuisine. The most noteworthy things I ate included beignets, fried chicken, jambalaya, and charbroiled oysters (that were smothered in cheese, butter, and all the good stuff). Out of all of these foods, I felt that oysters were probably the easiest for me to mimic at home. So this past weekend, I attempted to make my own version. I literally stared at old photos of the oysters we ate in NOLA, closed my eyes, and tried my best to recall the individual ingredients I tasted.

While unclear if I needed to specifically use compound butter, I thought this would be a good opportunity to try making it. Apparently you need to refrigerate for days? However, I was too lazy to wait so I only did it for up to 1 hour. The nice thing about compound butter is that you can roll it back up and store in the fridge or freeze and re-use later on other foods (e.g. steak, chicken, etc.).

I could eat this every day if oysters weren't so darn expensive (and if excess butter wasn't bad for you)! Fun fact: Oysters are high in zinc? That means it's semi good for me, right?

Grilled Oysters with Compound Butter

Prep Time: 65 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Yields: 8-12 pieces (depending on size of oysters)

Ingredients:

• 8-12 fresh oysters

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)

• 1 tsp Parmesan cheese

• 1/4 tsp garlic (minced)

• 1/4 tsp fresh parsley (minced)

• 1/4 tsp Louisiana hot sauce

• 1/8 tsp lemon zest

• 1/8 tsp Old Bay seasoning

• 1/8 tsp salt

• Pinch of pepper

• ~1 tbsp breadcrumbs

• Optional: Lemon wedge (for garnish)

Directions:

• In a small bowl, evenly mix together unsalted butter, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, minced parsley, Louisiana hot sauce, lemon zest, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Transfer butter onto plastic wrap and roll into a "log" using the ends to tighten/seal. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

• Once you're ready to grill, turn on the grill to 400 degrees F or medium high heat.

• Shuck the fresh oysters and discard the top shell.

• ​Tip: If you struggle with shucking oysters like I do, Whole Foods will shuck them for you at the market upon request.

• Take about a spoonful of compound butter and place over each oyster. For larger oysters, you may need to add more.

• Sprinkle breadcrumbs to cover the top of each oyster.

• Place oysters on the grill, close the cover, and cook for about 10 minutes (or until breadcrumbs are brown and toasted).

• Carefully transfer oysters from the grill (without dripping the butter/liquid) onto serving plate. Optional: For an extra citrus taste, squeeze fresh lemon over. Serve warm with bread.