Oysters N Bacon Recipes

OYSTERS 'N' BACON

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until shrunken, but not crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• In a shallow baking dish, whisk together the sugar, soy sauce and garlic with a fork. Wrap each oyster with a piece of bacon, and secure with toothpicks. Place wrapped oysters into the dish with the sauce.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the sauce has thickened and bacon is nicely crisped at the edges.

BAKED OYSTERS AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Open shells; remove from shells and drain.
• Place each oyster on a half shell with a small piece of bacon on top.
• Sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley.
• Bake for 10 minutes; serve at once in the shells.

ROASTED OYSTERS WITH WARM BACON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat a wood-fired or regular oven to 400 degrees F. Fill a 14-inch cast-iron pan with the rock salt.
• Shuck the oysters, keeping them in their bottom shells, then lay them on the rock salt, using care to save as much of the oyster liquor as possible. Place the entire pan in the oven and cook until the oysters are just set, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the bacon to a medium cast-iron pan, then set over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until the fat has rendered out and the bacon begins to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the onions to the pan and turn the heat down to medium-low. Sweat the onions until they have begun to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the mustard, then slowly add the vinegar, stirring. (You will want to stir and swirl the pan as you add the liquid, to help emulsify the mustard and vinegar into the bacon fat.) Add the watercress and stir the mixture to combine and wilt the cress.
• Remove the oysters from the oven. Evenly divide and top each oyster with the bacon vinaigrette.

BAKED OYSTERS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Make stuffing:
• Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot three-fourths full of water to a boil with kosher salt, then stir in spinach and cook 30 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl filled with ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain spinach and squeeze dry, then finely chop.
• Wash leeks well in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well.
• Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté bacon, stirring, until golden and just cooked through (but not crisp), about 3 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add leeks, shallot, and garlic to fat in skillet and cook over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
• Toss together leek mixture, spinach, bacon, bread crumbs, herbs, lemon zest and juice, sea salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and butter in a large bowl with a fork.
• Bake oysters:
• Spread 2 to 3 cups rock salt in each of 2 large shallow baking pans and nestle oysters (in shells) in it. Spoon a heaping tablespoon bread-crumb stuffing loosely on top of each oyster. Bake in batches in upper third of oven until golden, about 6 minutes.
• Serve warm oysters in shells on plates lined with rock salt.

OYSTERS WITH BACON AND HORSERADISH

Steps:

• Put the bacon in a skillet and cook over medium heat until crisp and browned. Remove the bacon from the skillet, leaving the fat in the pan. Drain the bacon on paper towels and reserve.
• Add the onion to the skillet and saute in the bacon fat until tender and golden. Stir in the flour and thyme, then whisk in the wine. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth and thick. Stir in the horseradish and the bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spread this mixture on top of each oyster. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. The recipe can be prepared in advance up to this point and refrigerated until just before serving.
• Preheat a broiler. Arrange the oysters with their topping on a baking sheet. Put under the broiler and broil until lightly browned and bubbling, three to five minutes. Serve at once.

BARBECUED OYSTERS WITH BACON AND GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together butter, lemon juice, and garlic; set aside.
• Preheat a grill: If using a charcoal grill, make a fire in your grill with the coals placed off to one side. When the coals are completely covered in gray ash, hold your hand about 5 inches above the grill grid; count how many seconds you can comfortably leave it there. When you can hold it there for 3 to 4 seconds, you have medium heat and are ready to grill. If you are using a gas grill, heat the grill for 15 minutes with the lid closed. Before beginning to cook, reduce the temperature by turning the knobs to medium-high.
• Place oysters on grill near, but not directly over, coals. Top each oyster with 1 teaspoon barbecue sauce and 1 teaspoon butter mixture. Cook until oysters start to ruffle around the edges and juice is bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle oysters with bacon and serve.

OYSTER-AND-BACON DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in upper third. Brush a shallow 2-quart baking dish with butter.
• Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium until crisp and fat is rendered, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, leaving fat in skillet. Add onion and celery to skillet; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and golden in places, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in sage and cayenne; cook 30 seconds. Add wine and boil until mostly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cream and reserved oyster liquor; simmer until reduced and thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in oysters; season with salt.
• In a large bowl, toss crackers with melted butter to evenly coat. Sprinkle one-third of cracker mixture evenly in bottom of prepared baking dish. Spoon half of oyster mixture evenly over crackers. Repeat layering with another one-third of cracker mixture and remaining half of oyster mixture. Toss remaining one-third of cracker mixture with parsley; sprinkle evenly over top.
• Bake until golden brown on top and heated through, 20 to 25 minutes (if top is browning too quickly, tent with foil). Sprinkle with bacon and serve immediately.

FRIED OYSTERS WRAPPED IN BACON

Steps:

• In a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, poach oysters in oyster liquor with bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce (about 2 minutes, until the edges of the oysters curl).
• Remove oysters from liquid and set aside.
• Discard liquid.
• Cut bacon strips in thirds.
• Wrap each oyster with bacon and fasten with a toothpick.
• Roll in flour, dip in eggs, and then roll in breadcrumbs.
• Heat oil in a 9-inch skillet.
• When oil smokes, reduce heat and fry oysters for 5 minutes.
• Serve immediately.