Oysters With Meyer Lemons And Cracked Peppercorns Recipes

ROASTED OYSTERS AND MEYER LEMON

Steps:

• Arrange oven racks in lower and upper thirds of oven. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread oysters in a single layer in two roasting pans. Roast oysters for 6 to 8 minutes, or until shells begin to open. Remove from oven.
• While oysters roast, mash together butter and lemon zest with a pastry blender or fork. Season with salt. Continue mashing until well blended.
• Using a shucking knife and a towel to hold onto oysters, remove top shells and loosen oysters. Put oysters in bottom shells; place in roasting pans. Dab about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon butter on each oyster. Return pans to oven and roast 2 to 3 more minutes, just until butter is melted. Serve oysters with wedges of lemon.

OYSTERS WITH MEYER LEMONS AND CRACKED PEPPERCORNS

Steps:

• Arrange oysters on a bed of crushed ice. Top each with a lemon segment. Crush peppercorns with the flat side of a chef's knife, and sprinkle over lemon. Serve garnished with lemon rounds.

GRILLED OYSTERS WITH LEMONY GARLIC-HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• Ignite a full chimney of coals and spread out under one side of the grill once they are fully covered in gray ash, or heat half the burners of a gas grill to high. Cover and let the grill heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut off a sheet of aluminum foil twice the length of a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Crumple it up so that it fits into the baking sheet. The crumpled foil should be able to support the cupped side of the oysters without allowing them to tip over.
• Prepare the garlic-herb butter: In a food processor, combine the butter, parsley, basil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Process until the herbs are finely chopped and there are no large chunks of butter remaining, about 30 seconds total, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor with a rubber spatula a few times as needed. Transfer the mixture to a small, oven-safe saucepan.
• Using tongs, arrange the oysters over the hot side of the grill, placing them with the cupped sides down, doing your best to set them in the grates so that oyster juices don't pour out of the cups as they open. Cover and cook, checking on them every minute or so, and transferring any oysters that have begun to gape open to the foil-lined baking sheet. After a total of 4 minutes, transfer any remaining oysters to the foil whether they have opened or not. Place the saucepan on the cooler side of the grill.
• As soon as the oysters are cool enough to handle, pry off the top shells with a butter knife or oyster knife, severing through the muscle that holds the oyster to the shell and retaining as much juice in the shell as possible. For oysters that aren't already gaping open, the easiest way to pry off the lids is by inserting the tip of the knife into the joint and firmly twisting it until the joint releases.
• Spoon a generous teaspoon of the garlic-herb butter (which should be fully melted by now) into each oyster, then return the oysters directly onto the grates on the hot side of the grill. Cook, uncovered, until the sauce mixture is bubbling hot, about 1 minute. Return the oysters to the foil-lined baking sheet and serve immediately.