Picture this: you want something fancy and delicious, but also easy. Enter garlic butter baked oysters– they look like a white-tablecloth flex, but they’re basically: butter + heat + applause.
I’ve been playing around a lot of oysters at home, a food a used to reserve for dining out only. Oysters have a lot to offer in terms of deliciousness (and nutrition). I took my love of butter filled wells of escargot and turned them into baked oysters.
Why You’ll Love Them!
- Oodles of Flavor– Fats love to be infused by flavor, so garlic + butter and a few spices make a simple, but impactful sauce, but also emulsifies with the oyster liquor and lemon brightens!
- New skill = Unlocked– I will show you how to safely shuck an oyster like a pro (and maybe you’ll find a pea crab!)
- Make-Ahead Friendly– The shucking and butter can be made ahead of time, making the firing of this restaurant-quality dish simple and effortless.
- Baked, Not Broiled– I tried broiling them for the whole time, just like a Rockefeller, but the texture was smoother with a bake, then quick hit of broil for the finish.
Gather This
You might just have most of the ingredients needed to make these garlic butter baked oysters already on hand! A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Raw oysters – Check the section below for tips on how to shuck your oysters. No need to rinse after shucking, this will get rid of the liquor that we love.
- Unsalted butter
- Fresh garlic
- Flat parsley
- Coarse kosher salt
- Ground white pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Fresh lemon
- Parmesan cheese
- Crusty bread
Why Are Oysters Commonly Served on Coarse Salt?
Some folks say because the salt is reminiscent of the sea, others because it adds flavor, but the real reason is that it is an easy, cheap, and pretty way to prevent them from tipping over. Since shells vary so greatly in shape and size, it is impossible to make a dish for this purpose, but nesting them in salt allows for all shapes and sizes.
Easy Way to Shuck Oysters
Never shucked an oyster? Follow these steps to oyster shucking for the best garlic butter baked oysters.
- Clean– Keep the oysters chilled until ready to use. They should be purchased no more than 24 hours in advance. When ready, scrub the shells using a potato scrubber to remove any caked on grit or sand.
- Safety First– Next to the mandolin slicer, a shucker is the second for causing non-knife related injuries. If you have a shucking glove, wear it! If not, use a super thick kitchen towel or oven mitt to hold the oyster.
- Find the Hinge– This is the hinge where the oyster would open. Wedge the tip of the shucker into the hinge at a slight downward angle and wiffle it in (no stabbing!).
- Twist– Twist the shucker and it should easily pop off. If it doesn’t, follow the same instructions and try a different spot on the hinge.
- Cut the Muscle– The muscle is attached to the top of the shell and in order to make them easy to eat, you want to cut that, so take the shucking knife and gently run it along the top to release it from the shell.
- Lift the Lid– Take the lid off and slide the knife under the oyster meat as well.
- Reserve the Liquor– Liquor is the liquid in the oyster and has deep, briny notes that you shouldn’t discard. Leave it in the shell or tip it into a measuring cup and then strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any grit or sand.
How to Make Garlic Butter Baked Oysters (Step-by-Step)
Get restaurant quality oysters in no time at all with these simple steps.
- Prep the pan: Line a rimmed sheet with rock/pink salt or crumpled foil so shells don’t tip.
- Shuck & set: Shuck the oyster, then tip out half the liquor, keep the rest with the oyster in its deep shell; nestle on pan.
- Melt butter: Gently warm butter with garlic, parsley, lemon zest, paprika, white pepper, and salt until aromatic (don’t brown).
- Fill & bake: Spoon butter into each shell; bake at 400°F for 7–8 minutes.
- Broil & finish: Broil for about 1 minute to lightly brown. Spritz with lemon, dust with Parmesan, serve hot.
Variations
You can mix up these garlic butter baked oysters any way you’d like to! Here are a few suggestions.
- Spicy– Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the butter blend or a few dabs of hot sauce after baking.
- Maryland Style– Everything in Maryland has Old Bay. Omit the salt and add 1/4 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning Seasoning.
- Rockefeller-ish– While garlic butter oysters generally don’t use bread crumbs, it can help soak up some of the delicious garlic butter and gives them a Rockefeller style. Also think about sprinkling them with chopped bacon.
- Swap the Compound Butter– Garlic butter is delicious, but any type of compound butter can be melted and used. Try our sun dried tomato butter, chile lime or lemon Dijon.
- Add More Sauce– Want even more punch? Serve with a side of mignonette sauce!
Commonly Asked Questions
This recipe calls for them to be baked until the butter bubbles and the oysters just start to curl or cup. Any longer and they’ll be rubbery.
Most people do not- this also rinses away flavor and the liquor- the briny liquid left in the shell that adds so much deliciousness! If you get an oyster with a large amount of grit, you might want to make an exception.
More Briny Seafood Recipes
We love seafood in our house! Check out some of our favorite seafood recipes.
Baked Oysters with Garlic Butter Recipe
Equipment
- coarse pink salt or rock salt , optional but helps with the oysters rocking (and it looks pretty!)
Ingredients
- 12-16 raw oysters in the shell
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon flat parsley , minced
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 fresh lemon
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese , freshly and finely grated
- crusty bread , optional for serving and for mopping up butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange coarse pink salt, rock salt or aluminum foil on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent the oysters from rocking.
- Clean and shuck the oysters, tipping out half of the oyster liquor, but reserving the rest in the shell with the shucked oyster meat. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the 1/2 cup unsalted butter, grated or finely minced 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika and the zest of 1 fresh lemon. Reserve the rest of the lemon. Stir over low heat until the butter has melted and the garlic pulp looks like a spread, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Evenly spoon the butter mixture, making sure to get some of the garlic and parsley, into each oyster well. You might have some leftover depending on how big the shells are, this can be used on roasted veggies, basted on another protein or used on garlic bread.
- Bake the oysters for 7-8 minutes and then turn on the broiler for 1 minutes, watching closely to brown, but not burn, the butter. While baking, cut the reserved lemon into wedges.
- Remove from the oven and immediately spritz with fresh lemon juice from the reserved lemon and sprinkle evenly with the 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
- Serve hot or with crusty bread to soak up the remaining butter in each shell.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings!
Video
Notes
Make Ahead
While I do not suggest making the whole dish ahead of time, you can prepare the elements and fire when ready. Oysters can be shucked and kept chilled for up to 6 hours in the refrigerator. The butter mixture can be prepared up to 5 days ahead of time and remelted. In fact, the garlic intensity can grow with the fats infusing with garlic flavor.Leftovers
I do not suggest saving any leftovers, just do yourself a favor and eat the rest.Nutrition
