Baked Oysters

5 from 2 votes

My spin on Oysters Rockefeller. Pancetta, butter, shallot, garlic, panko crumbs, parmesan cheese, and baby spinach all come together to deliver a warm and savory baked oyster.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: oysters

Author: Shawn Williams

Ingredients

10-12 fresh raw oysters shucked
2 cups packed baby spinach roughly chopped
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2/3 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
2 ounces sliced pancetta or prosciutto cut into small pieces
5 tablespoons butter divided
1 medium shallot minced
2 garlic cloves minced
Splash of white wine
Lemon wedges for garnish
2 cups rock salt or coarse sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet on medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook until tender and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add pancetta and cook an additional minute. Add spinach, one cup at a time, and saute until tender. About 2 minutes. Turn the heat down low and add white wine to deglaze. Let simmer to evaporite. Stir in parmesan cheese.
Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and place in a small bowl with the panko crumbs. Toss until panko crumbs are evenly coated. Set aside.
Line a small baking sheet with 2-3 cups of rock/sea salt. This will prevent oysters from tipping. If you don't have salt, you can use a crinkled sheet of aluminum foil instead.
Shuck the oysters and nestle them into the salt bed. I like to retain some of the oyster brine but you can discard it if you prefer. You want the deeper half of the shell to hold the oysters so you have plenty of room for the filling.
Top each oyster with a spoonful of spinach/cheese mixture and then a spoonful of buttered panko crumbs.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until panko crumbs are golden brown. Serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

Serious Eats has a quick video demonstrating exactly how I shuck my oysters. I would 100% recommend you use a dishtowel as demonstrated in the video to hold onto the oyster shell. This will give you more leverage and also protect you from slipping and stabbing yourself in the palm of your hand. I would strongly recommend against using a sharp knife.

A layer of rock salt, coarse sea salt, or crumpled aluminum foil on a sheet pan helps to keep the oyster shells upright when baking in the oven. Salt works the best and also helps to create a nice hot surface for the oysters to stay warm once they're removed from the oven.

Before shucking, I recommend rinsing the shells with cool water and removing any sand, grime, or mud stuck in the ridges.

After you have shucked the oyster, use your knife to separate the meat from the shell. This allows the meat to slide out for easy consumption.

Nutrition