If there’s one thing on earth that’s arguably better than New Orleans-style baked oysters – you know, Rockefeller, Bienville and the like – it’s their chargrilled next of kin. A dish at the chef Hugo Ortega’s new Caracol in Houston got me thinking about something like this. And then the flavor of this variation kept me thinking about it.
6 tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons coarsely chopped garlic
3 canned chipotle peppers plus 1 1/2 tablespoons adobo (liquid reserved from the can)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
4 cups rock salt
2 dozen Gulf oysters
Heat the grill to 450 degrees. Melt the butter in a small skillet. In a blender, purée the garlic, chipotles, parsley and adobo until smooth. With the blender running, add the butter. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and set aside to cool. Spread the rock salt in the bottom of a pan. Place the oysters, cup-side down, on the rock salt to hold them in place. Roast on the grill until the oysters begin to open, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the hot oysters from the grill and carefully open them, separating the muscle at the top and the bottom and discarding the flat top shell. Spoon about one-half teaspoon of the chipotle butter mixture onto each oyster and then return them to the grill until the butter melts and the oyster plumps and firms, about 3 minutes. Serves 6-8.
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