Smoked Oysters
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.
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.
NOTES
- Preheat the smoker to 150 F. If your smoker will not hold that low, keep it below 200 F.
- For fresh oysters in the shell, try to keep as much oyster liquor in the shell as possible after shucking.
- For jarred pre-shucked oysters, smoke them in a quarter sheet pan with enough reserved liquid to cover about 1/4 of the bottom.
- Smoke the oysters for about 30 minutes, or until the edges start to curl. For a firmer texture, cook about 20 minutes longer.
- If using the marinade, let the oysters cool in their liquid first, then marinate for 1 hour or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
- Season the marinade with kosher salt or sea salt to taste after mixing in the oyster liquor, lemon juice, olive oil, shallot, parsley, and spices.
- Apple or cherry wood are good choices for a lighter smoke flavor with oysters.
Nutrition
Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 228IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
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