Rick Stein's oysters Kilpatrick

These grilled oysters with crisp bacon and Worcestershire sauce are a flavour bomb.

Oysters Kilpatrick. Credit: Penguin Random House / James Murphy

• serves

  3-4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• Rock salt
• 12 freshly shucked oysters on the half shell (see Note)
• 12 unsmoked, streaky bacon rashers, cut into thin slivers
• 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 15 g butter
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. Place a thick layer of rock salt over the base of a shallow ovenproof dish. Rest the oysters on this salt bed, then sprinkle the bacon slivers over the oysters. Preheat an overhead grill.
2. In a small pan, heat the Worcestershire sauce and butter to simmering point, then spoon this over each oyster. Grind a little black pepper over each one.
3. Immediately place under the preheated grill and cook until the bacon is crisp. Serve at once.

Note

To open oysters, hold an oyster in one hand, well wrapped in a tea towel. Push the point of a knife into the oyster’s hinge. Work the knife and oyster backwards and forwards, applying a little pressure. The hinge will break open quite easily. Slide the knife under the shell and sever the ligament, also known as the adductor muscle, that joins the oyster to the shell. If you’re serving oysters raw, I think it’s best not to cut the meat from the shell as the oyster looks much more appetising if undisturbed. However, because this is a cooked dish, I suggest you cut the meat from the shells.

This is an edited extract from Rick Stein’s Christmas (Penguin Random House, RRP $60).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.