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Grilled Oysters With Buttery Soy-Sake Glaze
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- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1cup sake
- ¾cup granulated sugar
- ½cup shoyu or light soy sauce
- 3smashed garlic cloves
- 3thin slices unpeeled ginger
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- 24oysters, scrubbed clean of any sand or grit under cool running water
- Thinly sliced scallions, for serving
For the Soy-sake Glaze
For the Oysters
Preparation
- Step 1
Combine the sake, sugar and shoyu in a small saucepan along with the smashed garlic and ginger. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced into a syrupy glaze with large, dark bubbles, about 30 minutes. Using a spoon or strainer, remove and discard garlic and ginger. You should have about ½ cup glaze. Stir in the butter.
- Step 2
After the sauce is prepared (or as it reduces), ignite a full chimney of coals and spread out under one side of the grill once they are fully covered in gray ash, or heat half the burners of a gas grill to high. Cover and let the grill heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut off a sheet of aluminum foil twice the length of a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Crumple it up so that it fits into the baking sheet. The crumpled foil should be able to support the cupped side of the oysters without allowing them to tip over.
- Step 3
Using tongs, arrange the oysters over the hot side of the grill, placing them with the cupped sides down, doing your best to set them in the grates so that oyster juices don’t pour out of the cups as they open. Cover and cook, checking on them every minute or so, and transferring any oysters that have begun to gape open to the foil-lined baking sheet. After a total of 4 minutes, transfer any remaining oysters to the foil whether they have opened or not. Place the saucepan on the cooler side of the grill.
- Step 4
As soon as the oysters are cool enough to handle, pry off the top shells with a butter knife or oyster knife, severing through the muscle that holds the oyster to the shell and retaining as much juice in the shell as possible. For oysters that aren’t already gaping open, the easiest way to pry off the lids is by inserting the tip of the knife into the joint and firmly twisting it until the joint releases.
- Step 5
Spoon a generous teaspoon of the glaze into each oyster, then return the oysters directly onto the grates on the hot side of the grill. Cook, uncovered, until the sauce mixture is bubbling hot, about 1 minute.
- Step 6
Return the oysters to the foil-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with scallions, and serve immediately.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
When opening the oysters hold them over a bowl to save the brine. Mix the brine into the sauce, and use this to glaze the oysters with.
Dry vermouth or dry sherry can both sub for sake.
Any suggestions on how this could be put together without a grill?
I would also like to do this in the oven maybe? Under the broiler?
Skip the aluminum foil; place the flat, shucked tops of the oysters upside down on the pan, then position the oysters between them. The tops will hold the oysters flat and upright.
Great recipe. We added a bit of white miso paste to the glaze. Grilled the oysters over the fire pit and used the glaze on skewered grilled scallops, as well.
Use half the sugar and less soy
This was fantastic. We halved the recipe and served as an app before grilling the rest of dinner. The sake-soy glaze was so good that my kid asked us to save it for him to put on other things. We didn’t use the butter (oversight) but didn’t miss it, I think. May have to make again to see! I agree with Joe to open the oysters over a bowl to save the brine.
Great recipe, would recommend cutting the sugar in half and adding some spice like fresh pepper or Asian hot sauce.
Love this recipe!! Stumbled upon the best oysters I’ve ever had and tried this recipe. Oysters were from Little Peconic Bay off of Long Island. From the Shellworks farm.
Love this recipe!! Stumbled upon the best oysters I’ve ever had and tried this recipe. Oysters were from Little Peconic Bay off of Long Island. From the Shellworks farm.
I really wanna see video of this!
The recipe list calls for 4 Tbls of unsalted butter. Where does this belong in the process?
Nice sauce
When opening the oysters hold them over a bowl to save the brine. Mix the brine into the sauce, and use this to glaze the oysters with.
In spite of the 114F heat, I decided to grill oysters. I made the recipe exactly as written, and it turned out incredible! I will definitely make again! I read the comment about sake substitutions, and I would recommend the use of good quality sake, which imparts a unique flavor that marries well with the shoyu and ginger. Although I have not tried it, I suspect the vermouth or sherry would not have the same subtle taste.
Sake substitutions…? If any?
Dry vermouth or dry sherry can both sub for sake.
could you try this same approach with hard shell clams?
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