Alex Loves Oysters!
My wife Alex loves oysters –which is of course a member of the “bivalve” family:
A bivalve is an aquatic mollusk belonging to the class Bivalvia, distinguished by its body being enclosed in a two-part hinged shell. The name comes from the Latin words bis (“two”) and valvae (“leaves of a door”). Common examples include clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops.
Because Alex loves them so much, as do I, it was up to me to make her beloved bi-valves THREE WAYS!
“The Big Oyster!”
I was excited to make some fun, delicious and easy oyster dishes, as I am a huge fan of Mark Kurlanksy’s history of the oyster in the US…the book includes fascinating insight into the role that oysters played in our nation’s history – and the book has lots of recipes for this delicious bi-valve, so let’s make some three different and unique ways!
Oysters! Bacon! White Wine! Let’s Cook!
All three of these recipes are easy to make, and use very few ingredients – note that th wine is actually for drinking as I cook – so let’s get started by shucking some oysters!
The Kusshi oysters were purchased at the terrific Santa Monica Seafood shop here in West Los Angeles…I only got a half dozen, because shucking is not easy!
The key to shucking an oyster is to wedge your shucking knife into the narrow slit at the back of the shell…I wiggled the knife until I felt it break through…
My wife Alex shot the entire shucking process, and I explain what I am wearing and why:
It’s interesting to me just how many tens of thousands of clicks this got on YouTube – and a few people chastising me for doing it all wrong! All I can say is this: I got them out of the shell and that’s all that matters!
And also, it would be a dull world if we all cooked the same way, right?
These will be the first course: freshly shucked raw oysters with a squeeze of lemon!
Next up, another fairly easy dish that uses the grease from one of our other ingredients!
Making Pan-Fried Oysters!
This is also easy to do: I bought a half pound of whole shucked oysters, and I dipped them in some Italian bread crumbs…no flour, no egg, just the bread crumbs, and then I pan fried them for 3-4 minutes each side – in bacon fat!
It not only sounds delicious, it smells great too!
If you are wondering where the bacon fat came from, well, that’s the last recipe!
Making “Angels On Horseback!”
The most intricate recipe goes last…remember that bacon sitting on my counter? It was time to fry it up!
Here are your ingredients for this deliciously easy oyster dish:
1/2 pound bacon
6 fresh oysters
Lemon
Toothpicks
White wine – for drinking!
As much fun as these are to make, “Angels On Horseback” is simply a bacon-wrapped oyster!
As one food website describes the dish: The name itself, “angels on horseback,” is believed to be derived from its classic appearance when the bacon edges curl up after broiling, remotely resembling the upturned wings of angels!
The key is to pre-cook the bacon so it is partially done – that’s because the oysters will cook faster on a grill than the bacon!
I cooked 4 slices of bacon for about 5 minutes on each side on a lower-medium heat…then let them cool.
I set the bacon fat aside and cooked the pan-fried oysters that you saw in it!
Here is how I prepared the “Angels On Horseback”, and it will take us back to my shucking efforts with some commentary from Alex!
Yes, I called them “Angels On Halfback” by mistake but Alex helped me out – and yes, I only shucked 4 of the oysters – and did 4 only because she told me one wasn’t enough!
The raw oysters are easy to wrap with the bacon, and a toothpick holds them in place…
Of course, I broke the “space time continuum” here in the pictures as the pan-fried oysters weren’t pan-fried yet, but it’s all about the storytelling, so go with me…
I put the “angels” on the grill – using some aluminum foil so they wouldn’t stick, and cooked them on each side for 5 minutes….and that’s it, my “oysters three ways” were done!
The “Angels On Horseback” were delicious, as the smoky, salty bacon is a perfect counterpoint to the smooth richness of the poached oyster, which doesn’t grill because the bacon protects it a bit!
The fired oysters were delectable: after all they were cooked in bacon grease, and the oyster has plenty of meaty goodness since it’s only covered by a thin later of bread crumbs…
The freshly shucked oysters were a pop of briny salt water – I ordered these Kusshi specifically because these British Columbia oysters are smaller and cleaner in flavor…a light pop to end the meal!
This was an entire meal for us – we added a fresh salad and called it a night!
I love oysters and hope all of you do as well!
I love all types of seafood, that’s why I shared our visit to the legendary Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco – click here to see the magical dishes they create!
So as you can see, we love bivalves, plus crab too! And if you want a fun way to enjoy an oyster, try what I did!
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bacon, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Books / Media, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Food, Food Travel, Food Writing, Recipes, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
these recipes look great, just had some really good fresh ones in Charleston , SC
We had some the other night here in New York…so delicious! I need to get to Charleston – never been and now it’s close!
a two hour flight from here, and such an interesting mix
yep, with our work schedule it is worth a long weekend trip to be sure!
Absolutely love oysters . . . thus your post gets a huge smile! The beasties are so well loved by all Aussies we normally buy them already shucked for ease – they sell so quickly those opening can barely keep up. . . and it is easier. ‘Angels on Horseback’ was ‘huge’ here in Oz some decades back – oft the most common offering with the first few drinks going visiting . . . I may not remember but somehow do not think the bacon was precooked but that makes awfully good sense – must ask and follow!
I just couldn’t face eating oysters, John, and Sam has a shellfish allergy, so… no I’ll have to pass on your recipes, lol.
Oysters, like mayonnaise, are very polarizing! Thanks for the note!
Oh how wonderful. Great oyster dishes! From the photo you can really tell that Alex loves oysters!
Yes indeed! Thanks for the comment, always great to hear from you!
I love oysters too; fresh from the sea, or baked. But they are now so expensive in the UK, I rarely eat them.
Best wishes, Pete.
Pete, prices here keep inching up as well…usually $3 – $4 each in a nice restaurant, at least $2 in smaller places…but there’s a place that has an oyster special on Sundays all you can ea for $1.50 each…and they encourage you to have more – all night long!
Now John, you forgot to invite me over and oysters are one of my favorites!!! Straight up, maybe a squeeze of lemon.
I love them as well with lemon and maybe a bit of mignonette….delicious!
I have never eaten an oyster. I saw them as cartoons in Disney’s Slice in Wonderland and could never consider eating them after that 😂
Robbie, I grew up in Seattle and in the summer, spending time with my Grandfather, who was a shrimp fisherman, we’d walk the beach and pick them up and take home for chowder!
A wonderful memory 💞