Photos by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty / Pottery by Myrth Ceramics

The COVID-19 restaurant shutdown across the country has hurt our local oyster farmers in immeasurable ways. Sure, many do ship direct-to-consumer, and they’re still selling wholesale to fishmongers and grocers, but even the oyster-obsessed seafood lovers who’ll down a platter of freshly shucked bivalves in seconds flat at an oyster bar don’t often eat them at home. Shucking can be intimidating if you’re not practiced at it, but following Luke Pyenson’s instructions with Edgar Stewart’s handy illustration from our Fall 2016 issue will help. Just get yourself a sturdy glove or thick dish towel, a great knife (like the ones made at R Murphy in Southbridge) and a few dozen oysters to practice on and you’ll be on your way to doing your part in support of an important local fishery.

But if shucking really isn’t your bag, why not try oysters at home in a whole new way: lightly grilled, swimming in a pool of flavorful compound butter. Unlike hardshell clams, which can be chewy when cooked, grilled oysters are tender and sweet, full of sea brine and that luscious merroir.

Based on a recipe from the famous Hog Island Oyster Company in California (made from butter, bourbon, brown sugar and chipotles), these compound butters are my take on the sauces typically served with ice cold dozens. A lemony pickled shallot butter mimics mignonette and a tomato-horseradish butter stands in for cocktail sauce. Both butters are excellent slathered onto grilled sweet corn, and any leftover butter is equally nice on grilled fish or chicken. This is a simple, stand-at-thegrillside supper for midsummer nights with close friends and a Narragansett Fresh Catch blonde ale.

Serves 2–4

1 shallot, finely minced
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup white wine, flat or sparkling
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
zest of 1 organic lemon, divided
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3 teaspoons bottled prepared horseradish, drained
3 teaspoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon hot sauce of your choice (we like Hillside Harvest’s Sun Kissed Tomato)
1 teaspoon ketchup
splash Worcestershire sauce
2–4 ears fresh local sweet corn, shucked and lightly oiled for the grill
24 local oysters, scrubbed clean with a stiff-bristled brush
3–4 cups salt, for serving (balancing the oysters on a platter)

Make the compound butters. Combine the shallot, vinegar and wine and allow to “quick pickle” for 10–15 minutes.

Drain the shallots but reserve the vinegar for serving later. In a small bowl, combine the shallots with ½ teaspoon each pepper and salt, half the lemon zest and 1 stick of softened butter. Stir to blend, then use a rubber spatula to transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Roll into a 1-inch-diameter log, secure with twine or tape and refrigerate until firm.

In the same bowl, add the remaining pepper, salt, lemon zest and stick of butter along with the horseradish, tomato paste, hot sauce, ketchup and Worcestershire. Stir to combine, transfer to parchment paper, roll into a 1-inch-diameter log and refrigerate until firm.

When ready to cook, light a charcoal grill and allow the coals to cool to medium—a too-hot grill will burst the oyster shells. Arrange the corn around the outside of the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until charred in places and heated all the way through. Remove from the grill and keep warm.

Carefully place the oysters on the grill, flat shells up. As soon as they begin to open, use an oven-safe glove to remove them to a sheet tray. Pop the top shells off with an oyster knife (they will come off very easily), and scoop under the meat of each oyster with the knife to release it from the bottom shell. Top 12 with a thin slice of mignonette butter and 12 with a thin slice of tomato-horseradish butter. Carefully return the buttered oysters to the grill and cook just until bubbling and the butter has melted. Butter each ear of corn with the butter of your choice.

Being careful not to spill butter from shells, remove oysters from the grill and arrange on a salt-lined serving platter (nestle the shells in the salt so the butter doesn’t spill out) with a dish of lemon wedges, reserved mignonette vinegar and a glass of cold white wine or Narragansett Fresh Catch blonde ale. Enjoy hot with the buttered corn, preferably while standing.

This recipe appeared in the Summer 2020 issue as part of a larger story on Seafood and Corn on the Grill.