No matter how you visit the new North Carolina Oyster Trail, whether you visit every restaurant along the way or take a tour of an oyster farm, you are sure to get one thing: inspiration for cooking oysters at home.
It is best to simply prepare them with delicious sauces, these five recipes cover all the best ways to serve oysters.
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If you like raw oysters with half shells, you can choose sweet Vidalia vinegar sauce with pink pepper and a hint of sweet sparkling wine. Oysters grilled in the oven or over the fire are delicious with garlic butter enchilada or creamy jalapeno sauce. Also start thinking about your own signature cocktail sauce. Consider the classic cocktail sauce recipe below to inspire unlimited creativity.
No matter which sauce you choose, there is an important rule to follow: Don’t pile too much sauce to avoid covering up the taste of oysters.
In many communities along the coast of North Carolina, a few drops of vinegar on oysters is standard practice. A little acid balances the rich texture and creaminess of the oyster. In France, mignonette sauce-chopped shallots, crushed pepper and vinegar-is a classic condiment for raw oysters. However, vinegar is used on oysters and should be used sparingly, otherwise the taste of vinegar will overwhelm the natural flavor of oysters.
Mix 2 tablespoons of chopped Vidalia onions, 1 teaspoon of pink pepper, a pinch of black pepper, 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar, and 1/4 cup of sparkling pink liqueur (such as Moscato) in a small In the bowl. Stir gently until combined. Refrigerate until ice cold. Scooped onto raw oysters or served as a seasoning for steamed oysters.
When you pile fried oysters on sandwiches, or roast oysters in their shells in the oven to give them a smoky and salty flavor, a bite of cream sauce is a decadent way to complement the flavor of shellfish.
Stir together ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos, 1 tablespoon hot or mild truffles, 1 teaspoon chopped capers, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon paprika . Add 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh parsley and 2 teaspoons of chopped chives.
Without cocktail sauce and hot melted butter ramekins, grilled oysters are incomplete. As the oyster grilling progresses, these condiments mix little by little, as people double dip in butter and cocktail sauce, and vice versa, creating a completely delicious fusion. This mix inspired this recipe. Dip steamed oysters in this sauce or drizzle on fried oysters.
Peel, then chop four cloves of garlic. Put garlic and 1 stick of unsalted butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Put the garlic in the butter and simmer for 5 minutes. Don’t let the garlic or butter brown. Add ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon horseradish, 1 tablespoon ketchup, and 2 tablespoons hot sauce in a saucepan while stirring the butter constantly. Make ½ cup.
They may tell you that they never measure anything and add a little bit of this and a little bit according to the taste of their mixed sauce. Everyone seems to agree that ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce and Worcestershire are key ingredients. From there, it depends on the chef.
Use this recipe as a starting point for creating your own mixture. You can add grated garlic, lime juice, old bay seasoning, soy sauce, jalapeno, mustard instead of horseradish or other ingredients to make your own sauce.
No matter what you choose, the end result should be a balance of sweetness, saltiness, and richness, as well as obvious but not extreme calories. In North Carolina, the classic cocktail sauce is used to dip steamed, fried, and grilled oysters as well as oysters grilled over the fire. It is also a condiment for fried oysters in hamburgers, and this kind of sandwich is called an oyster burger.
In a small bowl, combine ½ cup tomato sauce, 1-3 tablespoons ground horseradish, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce, 1 teaspoon lemon juice or a little vinegar. Cover and refrigerate the sauce until ready to use.
This simplest recipe comes from my late Italian uncle, who showed up at our house one night and told us that we have been eating steamed clams.
He suggested that we put them on half shells, sprinkle a little oregano and garlic powder on each clam, and drizzle with high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
It turns out that he was right, and his advice is equally delicious for oysters in the shell grilled in the oven. Sometimes, we also sprinkle a little flaky red pepper.
Liz and her family came to North Carolina to enjoy the vast beaches, friendly atmosphere and fresh seafood. Since coming here as a child, she has never looked back to see her hometown of New Jersey. As a reporter for 25 years, she has covered everything from local fisheries to politics. Liz temporarily gave up everything, became a chef and ran his own catering company. Today, she writes articles about food for “The Star of Indianapolis” and “Coastal Review.”