Grilled Oysters

Summer is in full swing and what a better way to enjoy summer and grilling with some freshly grilled oysters! Jim and I went to our local farmer’s market a couple of weeks ago and purchased some fresh oysters and I knew right away we would be grilling them even though I have not done that before. Guess what? It was super easy and delicious! Because we like things hot, we added a few more dashes than called for.  Add what makes your mouth sing!

INGREDIENTS
24 fresh oysters
4 Tablespoons Butter
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 or more dashes of hot sauce – I keep the hot sauce to serve on the side as well.

course sea salt for serving if desired.

DIRECTIONS
FOR THE SAUCE- Add butter to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, remove from heat. Add lemon juice, hot sauce, and herbs.

FOR THE OYSTERS- Heat outdoor gas grill to medium heat. Place unopened oysters on the grill and grill until the oysters just begin to open. As soon as they begin to open, use an oyster knife or a butter knife as we did, open the oysters completely apart so you have two shells. Use kitchen gloves as the oysters will be hot.
Using the same knife separate the meat from the shell, set aside. Do this for each oyster. Discard any unopened shells, do not consume those.
Take the top of the shell, the one that has more of a bowl shape and place them back on the grill and place one oyster back into the shell. Add the sauce into each of the shells. Turn the grill to high heat. When the sauce is bubbling in the shells remove from heat being careful not to spill the sauce.
remove oysters to a platter that has the course sea salt on the bottom of the platter.
Serve warm but remember the sauce is hot just off the grill!

Enjoy!