19 Oyster Recipes That Rival Eating Them Raw

Make the most of your mollusks!

November 13, 2020

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You don’t really need a Rolodex of oyster recipes. Just slurp them raw! Douse them in lemon juice and knock them back like tiny briny shots of bliss! While this method is all well and good, frying, grilling, or stewing oysters takes them to a whole other dimension. We’re talking about broiled oysters dusted with buttery, garlic-laced breadcrumbs. These crispy, golden saltine-crusted beauties. Or this teetering, texturally sublime fried B.O.L.T (bacon, oyster, lettuce, tomato) sandwich. Whether you’re team raw or not, these oyster recipes will help your mollusks shine bright like the ocean jewels they are.

Ditte Isager
1/19
Clark's Oyster Bar's Cioppino
This cioppino recipe uses bottled clam juice, a smart shortcut to a robust broth.
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Alex Lau
2/19
Roast Oysters
“The warmness of the brown butter balances the brininess of seafood,” says chef Vivian Howard.
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Alex Lau
3/19
The BLT Oyster Stuffing
Adding oysters and bacon incorporates textural contrasts and bold flavors.
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Alex Lau
4/19
Oysters Casino
This recipe, part of our Throwback Thanksgiving feature, is from our 1970 issue. Instead of green pepper, add some heat by making this with jalapeño.
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Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott
5/19
Baguette, Smoked Oyster, and Pancetta Stuffing
If you like stuffing with smoked oysters, you’ll like it even more with tart lemons on top.
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Chris Searl
6/19
Oysters with Finger Lime and Ginger Mignonette
In place of vinegar, finger limes give this mignonette its zing (pulp from regular limes works just as well).
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Jason Lowe
7/19
B.O.L.T (Bacon, Oyster, Lettuce, Tomato)
As if an oyster po’boy and a BLT had a baby; this appropriately messy sandwich achieves the ideal texture-and-temperature contrast when the oysters are still warm from the fryer.
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8/19
Broiled Oysters with Garlic Breadcrumbs
Enjoy this dish alongside homemade soda bread!
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Jason Lowe
9/19
Creamy Oyster and Watercress Stew
The oysters will plump slightly in the hot soup and take on a creamy but firm consistency; if overcooked, they’ll become rubbery.
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10/19
Grilled Oysters
Choose oysters with a deep, round shape—they're better at capturing the oyster liquor and any melted butter than flat ones.
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Kamil Bialous
11/19
Fried Oysters with Bacon, Garlic, and Sage
Holding the raw oysters in the rice-flour dredge is a genius do-ahead trick, allowing you to shuck and coat the oysters hours ahead of fry time.
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Ditte Isager
12/19
Sourdough Toasts with Mushrooms and Oysters
It's exactly what it sounds like: buttery richness piled on crunchy toasts.
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13/19
Fried P&J Oysters Amandine
Dipping the oysters in egg whites makes the fried coating especially light and crisp.
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Jason Lowe
14/19
Oysters with Brown Sugar–Chipotle Butter
If you’re not a raw oyster person, this buttery, broiled treatment should be in your repertoire.
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15/19
Grandma Flaxel's Crispy Fried Oysters
Shucked medium oysters fried in a dusting of pulsed saltines.
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Randy Harris
16/19
Tomales Bay Oysters Rockefeller
Make the filling ahead of time and you'll need only a few minutes to go from shucking to eating.
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17/19
Oyster Tacos
Here, the theme is Louisiana po'boys by way of Texas.
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Anders Overgaard
18/19
Oyster-Cornbread Stuffing
Make or buy a savory cornbread to use in this luxurious oyster stuffing recipe; the kind you use will determine how much broth you'll need to moisten it.
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