Miles Prescottdoesn't remember exactly where he was the first time he tasted grilled oysters, but he knows he was in New Orleans and that the bivalves made an impression.
The chef and restaurateur, who has been in the business since 1993, including stints in Chicago; Charleston, S.C.; and Portland, has developed an expert's ease with the popular oyster preparation, creating his own complex sauces and easily demonstrating the best techniques for getting them done just right.
Prescott, who is assistant general manager at Bacchanal Fine Wines, moved from behind the stove into management about five years ago. So rather than shucking and grilling hundreds of oysters these days, he makes dozens for friends and neighbors on a little barrel grill in the back yard of his New Orleans home.
I've tried grilling oysters at home but have never been wowed by the result. I always assumed that was because I didn't have the right kind of grill or a hot-enough fire to do them properly.
Prescott explained that a basic home grill works just fine, if you do it right. He agreed to prove that by hosting a backyard oyster-grilling tutorial, bringing his sauce ingredients and an ice chest filled with oysters.
For his backyard parties, Prescott uses sauce recipes that he developed while working at New Orleans restaurants, such as Little Gem Saloon, and as sous chef under Chris DeBarr at The Delachaise.
"Chris encouraged us to do our own thing. I owe a lot to that guy," Prescott said of DeBarr, who he said urged him research the history of ingredients, saying he'd find inspiration there. That's how Prescott came up with his Head Cheese and Artichoke Cream Grilled Oysters. (Before the Great Depression, Louisiana was the leading producer of artichokes in the United States, he said, noting that inspired him to pair them with the local seafood.)
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"These versions are all mine," he said of his take on a butter and garlic sauce, the Bienville and the Rockefeller.
"Obviously, the Bienville and Rockefeller are classics, but it's my take on them," said Prescott, who has made his way around the New Orleans restaurant scene as executive chef of RioMar as well as working in the kitchen at Marigny Brasserie, The Country Club, Bayona and Peristyle.
Once the sauces were made (find the recipes below), it was time to light the fire. As the coals were turning white, Prescott began to shuck the oysters, a dozen or two at a time.
"The first oyster is like when you open a very old bottle of wine: Is it going to be great or is it just going to be a headache?"
We were in luck. The oysters were lovely, clean and bright with just the right amount of saltiness.
The fire and grill
Prescott builds his fire with a base of crumpled newspaper, then a few brittle twigs from the yard topped with a mound of briquettes. He douses the coals with a lighter fluid and sets them aflame.
"Five to 600 degrees is a beautiful window to do this in and it's quite easy to do that with one of these," Prescott said, referring to my 22-inch Weber grill. "You can put two dozen oysters on this guy right here." (I needed to put on fewer when I tried to grill by myself because I was a bit more clumsy when taking the sizzling bivalves off with the tongs.)
The coals should be white-hot before the oysters go on. It is possible to do five or six batches on one fire, but as the fire begins to cool, the oysters will take longer to sizzle and caramelize.
(One thing we plan to try: Use a charcoal chimney, or chimney starter, to get extra coals hot so we can keep adding as the original fire starts to cool.)
The technique
Once the coals are white-hot, Prescott places the oysters on the grill clockwise, starting from the outside and working toward the center, where the fire is hottest. Bigger oysters with thicker shells should go toward the middle for greater heat.
For light sauces, such as his butter-based Classic Grilled Oysters, Prescott puts the oysters on the grill and immediately ladles on the sauce, bread crumbs and cheese. They quickly begin to sizzle.
For thicker sauces, such as the Rockefeller and the Head Cheese and Artichoke Cream, he opens the oysters on a tray, sauces them and then places them on the grill.
"This allows the sauces more time to heat and cook," without overcooking the oyster, he said.
As Prescott noted, he has "chef's hands," toughened up by shucking, cuts, burns and heat. He recommends using long-handled, sturdy tongs to put oysters on and - definitely - to remove hot oysters from the grill. Sometimes oysters near the edge need to be moved toward the center to get more sizzle, so tongs come in handy for that maneuver as well.
The timing
Determining when grilled oysters are done has perplexed me in the past. Either I'd leave them on too long and they would dry out and shrivel, or I'd take them off too soon and end up with more of a poached oyster than a chargrilled one.
The key for newbies is to watch them closely.
"See how the oyster starts pulling itself up in a little ball? The oyster draws itself in as it starts to cook," Prescott said as they began to bubble.
As the edge of a shell started to darken and caramelize, and the oyster and sauce seriously started to sizzle, Prescott knew it was time to take it off. He removed them to a heat-proof tray.
Oysters are not all done at the same time. Some are bigger, with deeper pockets, more liquid and thicker shells, so he wasn't shy about moving oysters around. Those that were on cooler parts of the grill were shifted to the center as finished oysters were removed.
The toppings and sauces
If you've only had chargrilled oysters at Drago's (no disrespect, they're delicious), Prescott's recipes are eye-opening: complex and flavorful, while not overpowering the delicate, briny oyster.
I could imagine each of these sauces tossed with pasta or spooned into a baking dish with oysters, mussels or shrimp.
All of the sauces were made first. Then, the oysters were shucked and the sauces reheated, if necessary, before spooning on top.
The garlic butter sauce is made richer with a little Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika and oh so much garlic. The Rockefeller uses fresh spinach, cooked until well-wilted, and a dash of mace.
"I love and respect the classics," Prescott said. "This is just my take on them."
Classic Grilled Oysters
Makes sauce for 2 dozen oysters
1/2 pound butter
6 garlic cloves, rasped
1 teaspoon hot sauce (Prescott prefers Pop's Midnight Heat From Cajun Country)
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1-1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Combine the first five ingredients and cook over low heat just until the butter is melted. Wait 5 minutes, then add parsley, salt and pepper.
In a bowl, mix together the two types of bread crumbs.
Open oysters, leaving them on the half-shell. Do not cut oysters loose from the shell.
Place oysters on a very hot grill (500 degrees or more, if possible). Ladle approximately a tablespoon of butter sauce on shucked oyster. Oysters come in lots of different shapes and sizes, so add more or less as needed.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb mix and parmesan over sauce. Allow to cook until the excess oyster juice has evaporated and the cheese and bread crumbs begin to brown on the edges.
Rockefeller (Prescott's version)
Makes sauce for 2 dozen oysters
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon garlic, rasped
1 cup yellow onion, small dice
Pinch cayenne
Pinch mace
Herbsaint, or anise-flavored liqueurs, to deglaze
1-1/4 cup cream
For white roux
1 ounce butter, by weight
1 ounce flour, by weight
1 bag fresh spinach
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
24 oysters, shucked
4 strips bacon, rendered and chopped into pieces approximately the size of your thumbnail, for garnish
Saute butter, garlic and onion in a medium saucepan until tender. Add cayenne and mace and let it cook for a moment, then remove from heat and deglaze pot with a splash of Herbsaint. Return pot to heat and add cream.
Make white roux by melting 1 ounce of butter in saucepan with 1 ounce of flour. Continue to stir and whisk until thickened and slightly darkened.
Bring cream sauce to a boil and then whisk in roux. Keep cooking for a couple of minutes until sauce thickens. Salt and paper to taste. Set aside.
Open oysters, leaving them on the half-shell. Do not cut oysters loose from the shell.
When you're ready to grill oysters, return sauce to a boil and stir in spinach as quickly as you can. Allow spinach to wilt but retain some body and bright green color.
Generously spoon sauce onto shucked oyster. Place oysters on a very hot grill (500 degrees or higher, if possible) until it bubbles and the shell edges begin to brown.
Garnish with the bacon.
"For those who are a little squeamish about head cheese, you can substitute andouille sausage and omit the oil. It's not hard to make, but it's a reduction sauce so it does require patience," Prescott said.
Head Cheese and Artichoke Cream Grilled Oysters
Makes enough for 2 dozen oysters
4 cloves garlic, rasped
1/2 yellow onion, small diced
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 pound spicy hogshead cheese, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons hot sauce (Prescott prefers Crystal Hot Sauce for this one; it's more acidic than spicy)
10 ounces cream
1 can artichoke hearts, drained, rough-chopped
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Sliced green onion, chopped, for garnish
Saute the garlic and onion in the cooking oil over low heat until tender. Add the head cheese, lemon juice and zest, white wine and hot sauce. Increase heat and cook until au sec (dry). Be careful not to scorch the bottom. Add cream and artichoke hearts. Lower heat and allow to reduce by half.
Once sauce is reduced, open oysters, leaving them on the half-shell. Do not cut oysters loose from the shell.
For best results, let sauce cool, then generously spoon onto shucked oyster. Place oysters over very hot grill (500 degrees or higher, if possible) until sauce begins to bubble and shell edges begin to brown.
Garnish with sliced green onions.
We didn't taste this one during our recent grilling tutorial, but it sounds wonderful as well.
Bienville (Prescott's version) Grilled Oysters
Makes sauce for 2 dozen oysters
6 slices thick-cut bacon, rendered, with bacon fat reserved
1 cup crimini mushrooms (quartered)
1 teaspoon garlic, sliced thinly
1/4 cup red onion, small diced
Pinch cayenne
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 lemon, juice and zest
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere seasoning
1/2 tablespoon cane vinegar
1 cup 36-40-count peeled, de-veined shrimp, poached in boiling salt water for 2 minutes and rough-chopped
Sliced green onion, chopped, for garnish
Render the bacon and reserve the fat. Chop bacon and set aside. Heat bacon fat in a small saucepan. Saute mushrooms in bacon fat over high heat until deep brown, then reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender.
Add remaining ingredients except shrimp and bacon. Cook over low heat, stirring gently to incorporate. Be careful not to mash breadcrumbs too much. Turn off heat and stir in chopped shrimp and bacon.
Let cool.
Open oysters, leaving them on the half-shell. Do not cut oysters loose from the shell.
Spoon sauce on oyster and place over a very hot grill (500 degrees or higher, if possible) until sauce begins to bubble and shell edges begin to brown.
Garnish with sliced green onion, if desired.
