Spicy Smoked Oyster a la Vodka

I originally made this recipe a year ago around Valentine's Day. I figured oysters were a great appetizer for a date night, and I think that still stands, whether it's Valentine's Day or not. These fire-grilled Spicy Smoked Oysters a la Vodka pack so much flavour. And they are super simple to make. I made my vodka sauce from scratch and loaded up each oyster with a big dollop, then topped them with grated parm and breadcrumbs, into the smoker, and they come out bubbly and delicious. The trick to smoking/grilling oysters is that they cook very quickly so you need to ensure you inject as much flavour as possible in as short as time possible. I went heavy on the wood in my Alchemy smoker to really get that smokey flavour tucked into each bite, plus they only smoke for about eight minutes. Don't forget to give them a squeeze of fresh lemon and serve with some bubbles, and you’re all set. If you want to find out how to make my Spicy Smoked Oysters a la Vodka keep reading, or jump to the full recipe.

Set smoker to 350F. Shuck all the oysters.

Grate the garlic and zest the lemon. Place a cast iron pan on the plancha and add the butter, let it melt, then add the garlic and lemon zest.

Mix and let soften, 1-2 minutes, then pour in the vodka and stir. Add the tomato paste and mix until incorporated. Add 2 tbsp cream and mix then add the bomba sauce and mix again.

Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon. Mix. Add in 1 tbsp cream and mix again. Remove pan from the heat and season with salt.

Spoon the vodka sauce onto each oyster.

Top with the grated parm and breadcrumbs, then place in the smoker for 12 minutes.

While the oysters are in the smoker, add the dandelion greens to the plancha and squeeze on juice from half a lemon. Cook until charred and slightly wilted. Remove from the grill and place on your plate in a single layer, as best as possible.

Place the smoked oysters on top of the dandelion greens and serve with a wedge of lemon.

And now for the full recipe...

Smoked and Spicy Oysters a la Vodka

Serves 1-2 people

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

Ingredients

6 large oysters 

2 tbsp grated fresh parm

2 tsp seasoned breadcrumbs 

Vodka sauce:

3 cloves garlic

Zest from 1 lemon

3 tbsp tomato paste 

¼ cup butter

2oz vodka 

3 tbsp cream

1 tbsp Bomba sauce

Juice from ½ lemon

Salt

For serving:

Dandelion greens

Juice from ½ lemon

Lemon wedge for garnish

How to Make Smoked Oysters a la Vodka

Set smoker to 350F.

Shuck all the oysters.

Grate the garlic and zest the lemon. Place a cast iron pan on the plancha and add the butter, let it melt, then add the garlic and lemon zest. Mix and let soften, 1-2 minutes, then pour in the vodka and stir. Add the tomato paste and mix until incorporated. Add 2 tbsp cream and mix then add the bomba sauce and mix again. Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon. Mix. Add in 1 tbsp cream and mix again. Remove pan from the heat and season with salt. Spoon the vodka sauce onto each oyster, top with the grated parm and breadcrumbs, then place in the smoker for 12 minutes.

While the oysters are in the smoker, add the dandelion greens to the plancha and squeeze on juice from half a lemon. Cook until charred and slightly wilted. Remove from the grill and place on your plate in a single layer, as best as possible. Place the smoked oysters on top of the dandelion greens and serve with a wedge of lemon.

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