This smoked oyster recipe is my favorite way to prepare these delicate shellfish. After being slowly smoked to juicy perfection, I serve the smoked oysters with a vibrant, tangy sauce that doubles as a marinade.
It’s best to use fresh oysters that are still in their shells, just as you would for steamed oysters. However, jarred premium oysters will also work; you just need to modify the cooking method a bit.
If your inland childhood was anything like mine, you remember those dreadful and dry oysters from the tin can. Unless you’re from Spain, that is, to which your canned seafood is otherworldly.
As of today, I’ve been living on the coast for 25 years. And it was at Tomales Bay that I realized that you don’t need to smoke your oysters to oblivion. It was truly an eye-opening experience.
I learned that you can cook oysters to the point where they keep their incredible juiciness. And the best part is that you don’t lose the smokiness, earthiness, or brininess flavor of the oyster.
Benefits of Smoking Your Own Oysters
Quality Control: First and foremost, you control the freshness and variety of oysters you use. The canned variety is deemed safe to eat, but that doesn’t mean fresh, sustainable oysters were used.
Cooking Environment: By using your own equipment, you can choose the perfect temperature to smoke your oysters and the wood chips you want to use. I like to smoke oysters at a low temperature using fruit woods. My top two favorite varieties are apple and cherry wood.
Tips for Shucking Oysters
Shucking oysters at home may seem challenging and tedious, but it is actually pretty easy. You just need a few tools to help you be safe and efficient.
Oyster Glove: Gloves protect hands during the shucking process. They protect not only the hand from the oyster knife but also the shell. I’ve seen instances where the shucker slips, driving the thumb straight into a jagged oyster shell.
Hand Towel: The towel serves as a surface that helps prevent the oyster from sliding around. Once you’ve popped open a few oysters, the work surface becomes wet and slippery from the briny oyster liquid. Not using a towel is a great way to end up with an injured hand.
Oyster Knife: This is a blunt-tip shucking knife used to shuck oysters. They often come equipped with a rimmed handle to protect your hand and thumb tip from the oyster shell.
Clean the Shells: It’s always a good idea to rinse off oyster shells before shucking them. If muddy, you may even need to scrub them with a soft-bristle brush. Shucking dirty oysters will cause anything on the outside to enter the inside. If you’ve ever bitten into an oyster with grit and shell fragments, that’s probably why.
Hold them Level: Holding the oysters as level as possible will allow you to retain the oyster brine in the shells. This brine is essential in keeping the oysters moist during the smoking process. So I try to retain as much as possible.
Temperature for Smoking Oysters
Whether you’re smoking with an electric pellet smoker or a traditional wood smoker, the temperature needs to be relatively low. You want to keep the temperature between 150 and 180 degrees F. This can be a bit tricky on a traditional smoker. So, if the above temperatures are impossible, try to maintain a temperature below 200 degrees F.
When working with a gas or charcoal grill, you want to use indirect heat. This simply means having your fire on only one side of the grill. The other side of the grill is the “cool side”. The cool side is where you want to place your oysters for smoking. This will help prevent you from cooking the bottom of the oyster too fast.
Ways to serve smoked oysters
- Marinated. Served in a vibrant and zesty marinade from small mason jars or porcelain spoons. Recipe Included.
- Chowders and soups. Place them into the bowl before serving so they are just heated through.
- Oysters Rockefeller. Serve these right from the shell they were smoked in. Smoky, cheesy, creamy, and delicious.
- Buttered Pasta. Toss with fresh herbs, garlic butter, and Parmesan cheese.
- Tostadas. Layer with mashed avocado, cilantro, pickled onions, and a splash of hot sauce.
Lastly, if you try this easy smoked oyster recipe, leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you’ve made.
More Smoked Recipes
Smoked Oysters
Equipment
- Wood Pellets
- Oyster Knife
- Hand Towel
Ingredients
- 12 raw oysters, unshucked and cleaned
For the Marinade and Dipping Sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, optional
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons oyster liquor, (liquid from the oysters)
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- kosher or sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Preheat the Smoker
- Preheat your smoker to 150 degrees F. If this isn’t achievable, try for below 200 degrees F. Add your preferred soaked wood chips or pellets to your smoker.
For Jarred Pre-Shucked Oyster (up to 2 cups)
- Drain the oysters while reserving the liquid. Place them onto a quarter-sized sheet pan in an even layer. Pour in enough of the reserved oyster liquid to cover around 1/4 of the bottom of the oysters. If there isn't enough liquid, that's ok. You will be smoking the oysters in the sheet pan. Skip ahead to the smoking directions.
Shuck the Shelled Oysters
- Carefully shuck the oysters open on the hinge side using your gloves, towel, and oyster knife. Try to retain as much of the oyster liquor as possible in the shell. Leave the oyster intact to the bottom shell.
Smoke the Oysters
- Place oysters still in their shells on your grill grate. If you are using the jarred oysters, place the sheet pan with the oysters on the grate.
- Close the lid and smoke the oysters for 30 minutes or until the edges start curling. If you like a firmer oyster, smoke for another 20 minutes or so.
- If you're making the marinade, let the oysters cool in their liquids and skip to the next step.
Make the Optional Marinade
- Shuck the cooked oysters and their liquids into a small bowl. Measure out three tablespoons of the liquid and add to a separate large bowl.
- Add the marinade ingredients to the large bowl with the oyster liquid. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt.
- Add the oysters into the bowl with the marinade. Gently stir to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to overnight.
3 thoughts on “Smoked Oysters”
That marinade is top notch.
Cleanest tasting smoked oysters We’ve ever eaten! Did surf and turf with venison steaks.
My nanna Absolutely loved these!