Opening or shucking oysters isn`t an amateur sport.
Professional oyster-shuckers wear heavy, oversized rubber gloves to protect their hands from the rough shells and the pointed knife used to force open the mollusks. Despite a near addiction to oysters on the half shell, I`ve never ventured to bring home a dozen in the shell for fear of prying.
But at least I`ve found the world`s easiest surefire method for shucking oysters: Throw the bivalves on the grill. They open by themselves when exposed to the heat.
Then, just season them with a little melted butter, lemon or lime juice and cayenne pepper, and enjoy.
This revelation comes from Linda West Eckhardt by way of her latest cookbook, ”Barbecue Indoors & Out” (Jeremy P. Tarcher Inc., $11.95). The book features grilling recipes from cuisines around the world and is particularly innovative when it comes to fish, vegetables and that California standby, tofu or bean curd.
”Home cooks have a lot of trouble with fish,” she says. ”Fish can be hard to deal with. You have to buy the right kind for the grill.” She suggests firm-fleshed fish: shark, salmon, scallops or swordfish.
But back to oysters. Eckhardt speculates that grilling oysters hearkens to beach feasts such as clambakes. She suspects that people began cooking oysters over an open fire because they couldn`t wait to get home to eat them. (I think it`s because the oysters are so hard to open any other way.)
For those eager to try easy-opening oysters, Eckhardt offers these tips and a recipe:
— When buying oysters in the shells, make sure that all are tightly shut before cooking. Discard any that are gaping; they`re dead and unusable.
— To make the oysters release the last traces of grit or sand, soak them in salted water before grilling.
BARBECUED OYSTERS IN THE SHUCKS
Four servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Grilling time: 2 to 10 minutes
16 oysters in the shell (at least 4 per serving)
1 cup melted butter, in separate bowls if desired
4 limes or lemons, quartered for squeezing
Cayenne pepper, if desired
1 loaf of hot French bread
1. Preheat grill. Place oysters, still in the shucks on the grill (over medium-high fire) with cup sides down. Put cover on grill. Cook without turning until the shells relax and open just a bit, which takes anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat immediately so the oysters don`t cook. Pry top of shells off with fork, taking care not to spill any of the precious oyster nectar. Dress with melted buter, a squeeze of lime or lemon and a dash of cayenne, if you wish. They should be just hot through and fresh as spring.
3. To serve, pour oyster nectar, butter and juice onto hot bread, top with an oyster–and gulp.
