Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup thinly sliced shallots
- ¼ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
- Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth (reduced-sodium if canned) or water
- 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Rock salt to roast the oysters on
- 3 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 24 live oysters
- Lemon wedges for serving
Method
Heat wood oven to 500-600°. For home cooks without access to a wood-fire oven, Malouf says the oysters can be roasted at a very high temperature in a conventional oven or even put under a broiler close to the heat. They may also be roasted in a very hot, covered Weber-type grill, which would add the smoke flavor to the oysters.
To keep the oysters balanced while they roast, line the baking dish with a layer of edible rock salt dotted with peppercorns. The salt and pepper makes a great presentation. You can buy rock salt (for water softeners) at a hardware store.
- In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Reduce the heat to low and add the shallots and wine. Cover and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and add the broth and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and stir in the herbs.
- Cover the bottom of an ovenproof baking dish large enough to hold all the oysters with rock salt. Sprinkle the peppercorns evenly over the salt.
- Open the oysters, discarding the top shell. Loosen the oysters from the bottom shell, being careful not to spill their juices, and lay them in the baking dish.
- Stir the shallot mixture and spoon some over each oyster. Roast until the edges of the oysters just begin to curl, about 5 to 8 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
