Broiled Oysters on the Half Shell with Fines Herbes

By LRay

Oyster recipes abound in the South, and we can thank Executive Chef Frank Lee of Maverick Southern Kitchens in Charleston, South Carolina for this creative take on the local bivalve. A few notes from Chef Lee: Fines herbes is a combination of the softer, less-pungent herbs such as chervil, tarragon, parsley, chives, and marjoram. In this recipe, we use tarragon, chives, and parsley; feel free to choose your own! Be sure to find large, local single oysters in the shell such as Carolina Cup or Otter Bay or, lacking that availability, a hard-shelled, cold-water, salty oyster.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup shallot, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 24 oysters in the shell

Details

Adapted from localpalatemag.com

Preparation

Step 1

1.Beat all ingredients except oysters into softened butter. Set aside.

2.Pop open oyster shells, keeping oyster intact with juice.

3.Place a teaspoon of herb butter on each oyster and broil in oven until butter melts and oyster crinkles—not very long!

4.Serve immediately on a plate with your choice of seaweed, rock salt, collard greens, etc., to prevent oysters from sliding around.