I’ve got creative ideas for cooking with oysters in winter:

1.  Oysters on the Half Shell

The purest way to enjoy oysters is raw, on the half shell. It’s easy to shuck oysters yourself at home, and even more fun to share the task with friends at a gathering. I like to pick up a variety of oysters from my fish monger, so everyone can taste oysters from different regions and compare their flavor. Serve freshly shucked oysters on a bed of crushed ice or rock salt. Wedges of lemon and a bottle of tabasco are all the condiments you need. For resources on buying and shucking oysters take a look at Ingredient of the Week: Oysters. I need a glass of bubbly with my oysters, but Guinness, any crisp, dry white wine, or even ice cold vodka (too strong for me, kids) are good pairings.

2.  Fried Oysters

A fried oyster is a beautiful thing- plump and juicy shellfish wrapped in a crispy flour coat. I grew up in the south, and my family made a pilgrimage every summer to the Gulf for a beach vacation. The journey often involved a po’ boy, the sandwich from Louisiana, traditionally made with fried oysters, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and baguette. This recipe from Parkway Bakery & Tavern in New Orleans (featured on Saveur) fits the bill. Fried oysters are also fantastic as part of a fritto misto, or mixed seafood fry up. The recipe for Fritto Misto Amalfitano (which I’m featuring here tomorrow) in The Young Man and the Sea is a mix of fried oysters, squid, and scallops coated in the most light and delicate flour batter and fried till golden and crisp. It’s perfect for feeding a crowd at a relaxed get together and requires nothing more than a bottle of bubbles to go with.

3.  Oyster Dip

The January issue of Food & Wine Magazine features “An intimate look at the creative life of chefs”, Noma’s René Redzepi and Coi’s Daniel Patterson. The chefs spend a weekend at Patterson’s house in Oakland, California, cooking with local ingredients and experimenting. One of the recipes they came up with is Oyster Tartare Sauce with Potato Chips. It’s one of those sounds weird but probably outrageously delicious concoctions. Freshly shucked oysters are blitzed in a blender with their liquor and a bit of oil to form a puree. Cooked carrots and turnip are folded in for texture and parsley adds its fresh green flavor. A dash of rice vinegar brings needed acidity, and the dip is  served in a bowl over crushed ice with potato chips. I think the creamy, briny fresh oyster dip is a great partner to salty potato chips.

4.  Oysters Korean Style

In David Chang’s Momofuku cookbook, he spends a lot of time writing about oysters- understanding the importance of treating the bivalves right, proper shucking technique, and thoughtful flavor pairings. Kimchi, a fermented pickle made with Napa cabbage, is pungent and sweet with a touch of chile heat. He writes, “in Korean cuisine, kimchi and oysters go together like milk and cookies.” Chang likes to serve oysters on the half-shell with kimchi puree, but I was even more drawn to his recipe for Ko Kimchi Consommé with pork belly, oysters & napa cabbage. It may seem odd but pork and shellfish have a long history as complimentary ingredients on the plate. A robust broth is made with pork stock and kimchi puree, then served in a bowl with blanched napa cabbage and a piece of roasted pork belly. An oyster shell with two freshly shucked oysters and their liquor is perched atop the cabbage leaf. It’s a thoughtful dish with complex but balanced flavors: sweet and briny oysters, salty pork belly, delicate cabbage, and richly flavored broth. Check out the blog Momofuku for 2 to get a look at the finished dish.

5.  Hot Buttered Oysters on Toast

If raw oysters freak you out, try them sautéed in butter. In her book, Forgotten Skills of Cooking, Darina Allen suggests tossing freshly shucked Pacific Giga oysters (and their juices) into a pan of hot, melted butter for a mere moment, until heated thru.  Pour the oysters and sauce over toasted bread and serve. The bread soaks up the juices and as Darina writes, it’s “simply delicious.” It’s a rustic plate . . . my favorite type of meal.

6.  Grilled Oysters

I love grilling in winter, especially if there is snow on the ground. The fire and smoke cuts through the cold, dry, Colorado air and I feel like a rebel, refusing to be kept indoors. Grilling makes preparing oysters easier, since you just toss the whole shell on the grill for a few minutes until they pop open. Pull off the top shell and serve the oysters on the half shell with a splash of white wine-butter sauce, like they do over at Saveur. The delicate oysters taste sweet and salty with a hint of smoke.

7.  Oysters with Mignonette Sauce

According to Merriam-Webster, mignonette is “a sauce made typically with vinegar, pepper, and herbs, and served especially with oysters.” It’s part of a trio of condiments served at oyster bars, the other two being cocktail sauce and lemon. The traditional red wine vinegar used in mignonette sauce is quite harsh, and I agree with Rowan Jacobsen, author of A Geography of Oysters, that a citrus mignonette is kinder and gentler to the oyster, while still bringing much needed acidity. In the book, Rowan suggests a Blood Orange Mignonette and Meyer Lemon Mignonette, both perfect for this moment when citrus season is upon us. Simply stir together the zest and juice of the citrus, minced shallot, and ground pepper and all you need is a freshly shucked oyster. I ike the sound of his Tarragon Vinegar Mignonette, which tempers the vinegar with white wine. José Andrés also writes that “most mignonette sauce is too acidic for delicate oysters” in his cookbook, Made in Spain. The famous chef tops freshly shucked oysters with capers, Spanish olives (sliced into strips), and olive oil, plus a Cava vinegar mignonette. Cava is delicate Spanish sparkling wine.

8.  Broiled and Stuffed

Just like any shellfish, oysters are delicious left in their shells and stuffed with tasty morsels like bacon, breadcrumbs, cheese, etc. Place the stuffed oysters under the broiler for a moment just until they firm up and the juices bubble. This recipe for Broiled Oysters with Garlic Breadcrumbs by Mary O’ Callaghan of Moran’s Oyster Cottage uses a dash of Pernod (anise flavored liqueur), and fine garlicky breadcrumbs sprinkled over the oysters before broiling. The warm oysters are served with a lemon wedge and Irish soda bread. For me, a glass of Guinness would seal the deal.

9.  Oyster Stew

Oyster stew at its most basic (and wonderful) is prepared by throwing oysters, oyster juices, cream, and butter into a pot and simmering the stew for just a moment to cook the shellfish. Amelia over at the fabulous blog Bon Appétempt illustrates this concept perfectly and even adds mashed potato to the mix (genius) for sopping up the oyster juices.  Rowan Jacobsen shares a recipe for Coconut Oyster Stew in his book, The Geography of Oysters. Think unsweetened coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger- I’m inspired.

10.  Oyster Pie

This is old school, people. Oyster Pie doesn’t have a pie crust, rather, a topping of crumbled saltine crackers. Shucked oysters, oyster juices, butter, tabasco, Worcestershire, milk, and a generous handful of parsley are tossed into a casserole dish and baked with the saltine crust. This recipe for Oyster Pie from Martha Stewart makes me nostalgic for simpler times. It seems like the kind of thing my single-mom would have cooked for my little sister and I as kids, had oysters been in her repertoire. It’s easy and unpretentious, and I would gladly enjoy Oyster Pie with a nice cold beer on a gray winter day.

What’s your favorite way to cook with oysters? Let me know in the comments section. Click Here.