How do I Fill Oysters?

Oyster meat stays tender when baked at high heat under moist toppings.

Fill oysters with seasonings that complement the complex flavors in raw and cooked presentations. Oysters are a bivalve variety of shellfish, meaning they have two separate shells connected by a muscle. Fresh and baked oysters are commonly served on one of the two shells, which is referred to as "on the half shell." Overfilling or heavily spicing an oyster can overshadow the natural taste of the oyster meat. Try making a variety of fillings to find the one that best suits the oysters.

Things You'll Need

• Raw:
• Raw produce (sweet peppers, onion, tomato, shallot, celery or garlic)
• Cutting board
• Knife
• Shallow dish
• Fresh citrus juice
• Oyster broth or tomato juice (optional)
• Refrigerator or ice cream maker
• Hot sauce
• Spoon or small scoop
• Sea salt (optional)
• Baked:
• Vegetables
• Sauce pan
• Stove
• Soy or Worcestershire sauce
• Oil or butter
• Baking sheet
• Coarse salt
• Spoon
• Bacon (optional)
• Oven or broiler
• Cheese (optional)
• Breadcrumbs (optional)
• Probe thermometer

Instructions

Raw

1. Cut equal amounts of the fresh produce items you have chosen into uniform eighth-inch cubes. Smash and mince garlic and add it according to your personal tastes. Raw bright fresh produce ingredients complement the powerful taste of the fresh uncooked oyster.

2. Move the vegetables to a shallow dish and pour in a couple tablespoons of citrus juice for every cup of vegetables. Lemon, lime, orange and tangerine juice all taste great in oysters when they are freshly squeezed. Half a cup of oyster broth or tomato juice can be added for every cup of vegetables to create a more liquid filling.

3. Chill the filling in a refrigerator for a couple hours or freeze it into a vegetable sorbet in an electric ice cream maker.

4. Drip a couple drops of hot sauce directly onto the oyster meat approximately one minute before serving.

5. Scoop a serving of filling that is slightly smaller than the lump of oyster meat and place it directly on top. Serve the filled raw oyster right away with a few granules of coarse sea salt sprinkled over the top.

Baked

1. Cut vegetables into half-inch cubes or strips and add them to a saucepan on the stove over low heat. Choose earthy vegetables like spinach and mushrooms to complement the cooked flavor of oyster meat.

2. Pour a couple tablespoons each of soy or Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and oil or butter into the saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat when the contents have fully heated through. The idea is not to cook the filling, but to heat it just enough to combine the varied flavors.

3. Place the raw oysters on the half shell on a baking sheet that has been covered with a half-inch layer of coarse salt. A couple chunks of raw bacon with about half the mass of the oyster can be set on top of the meat to add the smoky salt flavor.

4. Spoon the warm sauce filling into each oyster until there is slightly less than an eighth of an inch of free space below the rim of the shell. Adding too much sauce causes the baking oyster to boil instead of bake, which may make the oyster meat tough.

5. Slide the filled oysters into a preheated 375 degree oven or broiler and allow them to cook for ten minutes. Add a slice of cheese or sprinkle seasoned breadcrumbs over the partially cooked oysters and bake for another seven to ten minutes. Insert a probe thermometer to make sure the meat and toppings have reached 140 degrees Fahrenheit before removing the oysters from the oven.

Tips & Warnings

• Serve raw oysters on plates of crushed ice to keep them cold until the moment they are eaten.

• Wash hands and arms thoroughly before and after touching raw oysters to prevent contamination.

References

• Best Recipes.com: Spicy Oysters
• SuzieHotSauce.com: Hot Sauce Detoxifies Raw Oysters
• PlanetGreen.Discovery.com: Emeril's Oysters on the Half Shell with Emeril's Hot Sauce Sorbet