Winner of the 15th annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off, Chef Ryan Trahan puts his own inventive spin on this Cajun classic. Can't find marrow bones? Use 3 tablespoons bacon drippings in the butter instead of marrow.
Author: Recipe courtesy of Chef Ryan Trahan
Ingredients
Rock salt
12 fresh oysters in the shell (preferably Gulf caught)
½ cup Bone Marrow Herb Butter
(recipe follows), divided
¾ cup bread crumbs or cornbread crumbs
½ cup shredded Gruyère cheese
Pickled Red Onions (recipe follows)
Lemon wedges, to serve
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Preheat oven to broil. Place a layer of rock salt in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. (This will keep the oyster shells from wobbling.)
Scrub oyster shells, and open, discarding tops. Run a knife under meat of oyster to release from shells. Arrange shell bottoms (containing oysters) in prepared skillet.
In a small skillet, melt ¼ cup Bone Marrow Herb Butter over medium heat. Add bread crumbs; cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
Top each oyster with a heaping teaspoon of remaining Bone Marrow Herb Butter, and sprinkle with cheese.
Broil until cheese begins to bubble and slightly toast, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with bread crumb mixture, and broil until topping is golden brown, about 1 minute more. Top with Pickled Red Onions. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
Recipe by Southern Cast Iron at https://southerncastiron.com/acadiana-uncovered/