Author Notes
You know that handy little mnemonic about only eating oysters in the months that have an “R”? After a bad run-in with summer oysters, I now err on the side of safety and cook them in the summer.
Like this preparation that uses the classic pairing of bacon and breadcrumbs and a quick broil in the oven; here I give them some seasonal oomph with garlic scape and lemon zest. It’s not on the rocks with champagne, but until September, it’s as close as I’m going to get. —Feed Me Dearly
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Ingredients
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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4 ounces
packaged pancetta
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1
garlic scape, diced
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1 cup
of day old breadcrumbs from a baguette, pulsed in the food processor until they form rough crumbs
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1 tablespoon
lemon zest
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1/2 cup
parsley, chopped
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Salt and pepper, to taste
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10
oysters, shucked
Directions
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Preheat the broiler (I used the broiler on my smaller toaster oven as the oysters don’t take up much space)
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Heat a medium-sized sautee pan on medium heat and add the olive oil.
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Add the pancetta, and sautee until the fat starts to render and begins to brown, about 3-5 minutes.
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Add the garlic scape, and continue to cook until the scape has softened, another 1-2 minutes.
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Add the breadcrumbs, and toss, coating the breadcrumbs in the oil, and cooking until the bread begins to crisp, another 1-2 minutes. You don’t want the bread to get too dark as it will cook more under the broiler.
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Off the heat, add the parsley and lemon zest, salt & pepper and toss it all together.
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On the broiler pan, spread out the half shell of each oyster that contains the oyster itself.
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Spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly amongst the oysters, and pop the pan into the oven.
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Broil for 4-5 minutes, and serve.
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NOTES: I served mine with a big green salad. It was pretty tasty with all of the bacon and breadcrumbs, and made for a light weeknight meal.
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