Roasted Oysters With Warm Butter Mignonette

Name: Roasted Oysters With Warm Butter Mignonette
Total time: 21 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 1 whole small shallot; 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar; 12 whole oysters; 1 cup coarse salt; ¼ cup unsalted butter; melted

Fresh oysters roasted until just opened, served with a warm butter mignonette sauce made with shallots and red wine vinegar. This elegant appetizer combines the briny sweetness of oysters with a rich, tangy sauce.

2 servings

21 min

Published October 4, 2025

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Ingredients

•1 whole small shallot
•3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
•12 whole oysters
•1 cup coarse salt
•¼ cup unsalted butter
•melted

Cooking Instructions

1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir shallot, vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl; set aside. Line a plate with salt (this will help hold the oysters in place without tipping out their juices) and set aside.
5 min
2.
Rinse oysters, then arrange flat side up on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until oysters crack open, 4-6 minutes. (They won't open completely like a cooked clam; the top shell will separate from the bottom with about a 1/4" opening at the rounded end.) Some may open before others-remove from oven as soon as they open. Discard any oysters that don't open after 7 minutes.
6 min
3.
To finish opening oysters: Fold a dish towel several times and hold oyster using towel. Slide a butter knife into opening all the way to the hinge. Turn butter knife perpendicular so top shell pops all the way open. Pull off top shell with your hand, being careful not to tip bottom shell and lose any liquid (this should all happen very easily without much force). Gently slide knife under oyster in bottom shell to release the muscle, then transfer to plate with salt.
8 min
4.
Stir butter into reserved vinegar mixture. Spoon over oysters.
2 min

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir shallot, vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl; set aside. Line a plate with salt (this will help hold the oysters in place without tipping out their juices) and set aside.

5 min

Rinse oysters, then arrange flat side up on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until oysters crack open, 4-6 minutes. (They won't open completely like a cooked clam; the top shell will separate from the bottom with about a 1/4" opening at the rounded end.) Some may open before others-remove from oven as soon as they open. Discard any oysters that don't open after 7 minutes.

6 min

To finish opening oysters: Fold a dish towel several times and hold oyster using towel. Slide a butter knife into opening all the way to the hinge. Turn butter knife perpendicular so top shell pops all the way open. Pull off top shell with your hand, being careful not to tip bottom shell and lose any liquid (this should all happen very easily without much force). Gently slide knife under oyster in bottom shell to release the muscle, then transfer to plate with salt.

8 min

Stir butter into reserved vinegar mixture. Spoon over oysters.

2 min