Grilled Oysters with Spicy Tomato Butter
SERVINGS: 6
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 25 minutes
COURSE: Main
Two summer favorites—freshly shucked oysters, and ripe, juicy tomatoes—come together in this stunning seasonal appetizer. The tomatoes are grilled until they begin to caramelize, which intensifies their sweetness. Then, they’re stirred into butter with harissa to make a richly flavored, gently spicy condiment. Served atop grilled oysters, the result is perfect for cocktail hour, cookouts, or any time you’d like.
Ingredients
- ½ pt. grape tomatoes, washed and cut in half
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp. chopped garlic
- ¼ lb. (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
- 4 Tbsp. mild harissa (such as Mina)
- 24 freshly shucked oysters—liquor (the oyster brine) reserved
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium heat.
- Toss the grape tomatoes with the olive oil, salt & pepper, and chopped garlic. Place on a small sheet pan and grill for 3-5 minutes until garlic is translucent and tomatoes start to caramelize. Remove from the grill and cool.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, butter, and harissa. Stir to mix evenly and season to taste.
- Place the shucked oysters back in their shells with some of the oyster liquor. Top each with about a teaspoon of the spicy tomato butter. Place on an oyster grill-pan or sheet pan and grill 3 minutes until lightly cooked.
Begin Each Recipe with the Finest Seafood
Citarella owner, Joe Gurrera has 7 rules when it comes to cooking seafood. The first rule is to begin with the freshest, highest quality ingredients. And at Citarella, we have been bringing in the best for over a century. Whether it’s right out of the Atlantic, fresh from the Pacific, or sourced from one of the world’s most principled seafood farms, if it’s sold at Citarella, it’s the finest seafood available on the market today. Period.
