Grilled Oysters with Cajun Butter Recipe

Servings
12
Prep
15m
Cook
10m
Difficulty
Medium

Grilled Oysters with spicy, tangy Cajun Butter bring the fresh, briny scent of oceanside grilling to your backyard. Your oyster-loving friends will love their complex texture – soft and buttery, yet firm and chewy. And we’re willing to bet that first-timers will be back for seconds. Either way, they’re gonna go fast. You might want to make a couple of batches.

About the cut: A delicacy in many parts of the world, oysters have complex flavours that are either loved or hated, with no in-between. Most are consumed raw, but we like them better when they’re grilled.

We made this recipe on the Blackjack Kettle Charcoal Grill, but you can make it on your charcoal grill.

Ingredients

1 dozen large oysters
Cajun Butter 1 stick butter
juice from 1 lemon
¼ cup parsley
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon oregano (dried)
¼ teaspoon thyme (dried)
½ teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
2-3 dashes of hot sauce

Preparation

  1. Arrange the coals for a 2-zone fire with the larger zone prepped for high heat cooking.

    HOT TIP To get your charcoal briquettes lit faster, use the Halftime XL Charcoal Starter.

  2. In a small skillet over indirect heat, add butter, lemon juice, parsley, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika, garlic, salt pepper, onion powder and hot sauce. Mix together, stirring until butter is melted. Set aside.

  3. Place oysters on the hot side of the grill, flat side up.

    HOT TIP To keep oysters alive until you’re ready to grill them, wrap them in a cool, moist towel and keep them in a refrigerator for up to two days. A live oyster will snap its shell closed when tapped.

  4. Carefully watch the oysters. Remove them as soon as they begin to open. After 5 minutes remove all oysters whether they have opened or not.

    HOT TIP Oysters that do not open when cooked are dead and must be discarded.

  5. Shuck the tops off the oyster shells, leaving the oyster meat on the cupped side.

  6. Place the shucked oysters back on the hot side of the grill.

  7. Quickly pour a spoonful of Cajun butter into each oyster cup.

  8. Cook over direct heat for about a minute, just until the butter starts bubbling.

  9. Remove from heat immediately and serve hot off the grill.

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