My husband and I love oysters, but it’s been a while since we’ve had them, let alone since I last blogged them. I guess they’re something we primarily eat at restaurants, and we haven’t been going out. Well, there’s no reason why I can’t run down the street to buy a dozen oysters every now and then, so that’s exactly what I just did. I’ve been wanting to try cooked oysters for a while and now is the time! This Herb Butter Oysters with Prosciutto sounds like something we will both love, so let’s get into it.
Easy? Check. Impressive? If I do say so. Let this fun oyster recipe with herb butter and prosciutto be your next party trick.
The Ingredients
This recipe doesn’t have a ton of ingredients, but it did require a special trip. My regular grocery store (Whole Foods) didn’t have fresh oysters, so I decided to shop at Fresh Market this week. They had almost everything I needed, including Atlantic oysters for $0.89 each.
I needed everything for this recipe, and the parsley, lemon, shallot, and prosciutto were all in stock. I also found a 3-pound box of kosher salt. The only thing I couldn’t find was the fresh basil. It’s just my luck! Fortunately, my husband is a sweetie and ran to a local Publix to find it for me.
The Process
When I researched cooked oyster recipes, I noticed they tended to be either grilled or roasted in the oven. This recipe did something different—it cooks the oysters on the stove. Interesting.
Another thing I liked about this recipe was the 20-minute total time. Unfortunately, my oyster shucking skills were not up to the task. Here’s how my time was spent:
- 22 minutes to prep
- 17 minutes to cook
- 39 minutes total
I had some trouble opening a couple of the oysters, and that took up most of the prep time. There were a couple of fighters in the bunch! I also had some trouble with balancing the shucked oysters on crumpled aluminum foil. I kept spilling the liquor, so I decided to switch to a bed of crushed ice. It worked a treat!
Once the oysters were prepped, I moved onto the rest of the ingredients. This recipe moves fast, so I wanted to have everything measured, chopped, and ready to go. That included adding a generous layer of coarse kosher salt to a 12-inch cast-iron pan. It really made things flow.
When I was ready to start cooking, I began with the shallot topping. Cooking that in a small saucepan was very simple thanks to my prep work, and I didn’t have any problems. Then it was onto the oysters.
I preheated the salted pan just as instructed and began adding the oysters. The salt was very hot, though, and it wasn’t easy to do. I had to move fast in order to keep from burning my fingertips, so I spilled a few of the oysters.
Getting the shallot and prosciutto toppings on neatly didn’t exactly work, but I didn’t worry about it too much. I was more concerned with over-cooking the oysters. But after adding a lid to the pan and patiently waiting three minutes, my lovely Herb Butter Oysters with Prosciutto were ready to be tasted.
