The ice bath stops the oysters from cooking. Some oysters will open right away, while others might need prying.
Shucking gloves are easy to find online, as well at some sports and outdoor stores.
Keep the blade of your knife pressed against the inside of the lid. If you let it dip down into the cup, you could risk cutting the oyster meat. Once the oyster is open, slide the shucking knife under the oyster meat and gently saw back and forth to sever the lower adductor muscle. Once this gives, the meat will be completely free from the shell.
If you’re using a charcoal grill, this means placing the oysters on the side where you have fewer charcoal or wood bricks directly underneath. If you are working with a gas grill, light a burner and keep it on low to low-medium. Place the oysters in the area over the burner. If you hear the shells popping, the heat is too high.
Grilled oysters are best done in small batches of around 10-20. You’ll get better results cooking multiple small batches over even heat than just piling oysters onto the grill. Grilling, especially over charcoal or with wood chips, can add a slight smoky flavor to your oyster.
Opening cooked oysters is a much more gentle process than opening them raw. The grilling should make the lid easy to pop open. If you’re struggling to open a lid, the oyster may need more time on the grill.
Steaming doesn’t preserve as much of the briny flavor as eating oysters raw, but it keeps more of it than boiling.
Try to use small pots and cook in batches when you boil oysters. Too large a pot or cooking too many at once could result in uneven cooking. Boiling your oysters doesn’t impart the same smoky flavor as grilling. It does cook the oysters, though, which softens the briny taste of raw shellfish. It’s a particularly good method for oysters you plan on using in other dishes, like soups.
To make a mignonette sauce, combine 120 milliliters (4. 1 fl oz) of red wine vinegar with one finely chopped shallot and about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of fresh ground black pepper. Allow these to steep together for at least an hour before serving.
