If there’s something to be celebrated in the brisk days and long nights of late fall, it’s the height of oyster season. This time of year beckons communal eating over open fires, and what better feast than an oyster roast? Although these bivalves suggest the kind of decadence that feels out of reach for the home chef, there are few meals more rustic and approachable than an oyster roast.
Noah Brendel, co-owner of Seabear Oyster Bar in Athens, Georgia, has had extensive experience roasting these exquisite mollusks. Between hosting backyard parties and refined supper clubs, he’s worked his roast practice into something of an art.
Pulling together an oyster roast is easier than you might think, Brendel says. And as in all cooking, the first step is prep work.
Begin by gathering your materials. Brendel’s essentials are:
- wood for a fire
- burlap sack (“easy to source from local coffee roaster”)
- 5 gallon bucket of water (“what you soak your burlap in”)
- piece of sheet metal that you can lay across the fire (“assuming you don't have a proper rig, you can always use a piece of sheet metal and some rocks or cinder blocks laying around the yard”)
- shovel (“a spade with a square head is what I prefer for ease of scooping”)
- table top to put oysters on (“it will get messy, so I would suggest not using an antique table”)
- yard gloves (“nice to have but not imperative”)
- large cooler (“for storing the oysters before you roast them”)
But what’s, perhaps, most important? Cold beer and plenty of it. If possible, setting up a makeshift bar is also highly encouraged.
The process of purchasing oysters in bulk is one of the more daunting aspects of hosting an oyster roast, but Brendel says it’s doable even if you don’t own an oyster bar. “I would say the easiest way would be to contact your local restaurants that do carry or sell oysters and more often than not they will help you out (we always help out customers looking for roasters),” he says. “But if that doesn't work, you can always find an excuse to drive to the coast and grab a bushel or two from the docks.”
And if there’s not a seafood restaurant in town and it’s infeasible to drive to the coast, Brendel also recommends asking your local grocer to place a special order for you.
So, now you’re ready to place an order, but what exactly are you looking for? “Cluster oysters work well for roasts,” says Brendel. “If you have to use singles, then I would suggest an oyster with a little more body or size so that you don't end up with tiny little steamed oysters. Anywhere along the coast where you can source oysters is a great source but specifically I have had luck with Blue Points, Rappahannocks, or any gulf oyster for that matter.”
The real trick is in knowing how many oysters to buy — it’s a fine line between overspending on a fairly pricey meal for the masses and, even worse, leaving your guests ravenously hungry. Brendel says estimating how many oysters to purchase is always the hardest part, but he typically orders one-and-a-half to two dozen per anticipated guest. And in this case, a little bit of diplomacy goes a long way. “More often than not you will have the guy that eats 60 in a row, but his buddy ‘doesn't eat oysters’ so it's always a little bit of a crap shoot ... It's also about knowing your crowd, and don't be afraid to ask your intended guests what they think they will eat.”
When the big day has arrived and you’ve gathered your tools, your oysters and your lucky guests, it’s all about execution. And this is where it actually gets easy, Brendel says.
“I tote the above listed equipment and supplies, I usually start the fire early — a hot bed of coals goes a long way when doing a roast. You learn that lesson fast. I set the oyster table up, shuckers, towels, gloves, cocktail sauce, crackers, hot sauce and trash can somewhere within tossing distance of the table. Not much to it really.”
The work of creating a perfectly roasted oyster, like anything takes practice — even if that practice takes place just before the roast kicks off. “Not all oysters roast the same, take some time before your guests arrive and do a test batch and get your timing down, so that when it's time to put the show on you look like a seasoned salty dog. No need to overthink it, it's simply a matter of heat, steam and time,” he says.
And what are some rookie mistakes to avoid? “... Sometimes your sheet metal, depending on how it's placed, will leak onto the fire, ultimately putting it out and making it hard to keep the fire hot. So make sure if you are roasting on an open flame that there is a little bit of an angle to the metal and that if falls clear of the fire off to the side. As I mentioned earlier the fire is the key element, you want it hot, so you obviously want to source your wood from a reliable source to ensure it's properly seasoned and burns well.”
Now that the oysters are roasted to perfection and thrown across a table for happy guests to indulge, there are a few accompaniments you’ll want to have on hand. (Although the real sign of success, is an oyster worthy of enjoying unadorned.)
“The standard oyster roasts accoutrement to me are saltines, cocktail sauce, hot sauce and maybe horseradish” Brendel says. “I always prefer cold domestic beer (whatever your flavor), and depending on the season either a gin, or whiskey cocktail. To me this is perfection. Full disclosure, I often find myself eating oysters right out of the shell without any sauces, but they are definitely nice to have.”
Words & photos by Jodi Cash