It’s been two days since I returned from my trip to Decatur, GA. I had a great time there.  Toured many great places (will post pictures and video later) and had a chance to visit three different states while there. One of the highlights of this trip was cooking and eating with friends. We whipped up a lot of classic Cambodian dishes. If you were following me on twitter you probably saw my up-to-the-minute photos of those dishes. However, when I got back I was craving for something different, seafood. Unsure what triggered this craving but I was very happy when I picked up my mail and see that fresh oysters were on sale this week for only .50 cents each! It’s been a long time since I had grilled oysters.

Growing up in Stockton, CA my sister had a lot of gatherings with families and her friends. Oysters were pretty affordable there and they would buy them by the bag. I don’t know how many pounds there were but there were a lot in those bag. My Mother would sometime grill them and other times steam them. Some guest had their own way of making the sauce but my most favorite sauce to paired with grilled or steamed oysters in the shell is this spicy lime sauce. This sauce is very versatile and you can pair it with many grilled meats and seafood. It’s similar to the lime sauce that usually accompany Marinated Beef with Lime Sauce (aka Beef Lok Lac).  The base is the same with a few extra ingredients added on. I’ve had it as dipping sauce as well where I simply grill some steak (un-seasoned), slice it thinly and wrap it in lettuce, cucumbers and fresh herbs then dunk it into the spicy lime sauce. DER-LICIOUS!

Grilled Oysters with Spicy Lime Sauce (for 10 oysters)
(Kjong Ang Tuk Jroluk Marech Kroach Chma) ខ្យងអាំងទឹកជ្រលកម្រេចក្រូចឆ្មារ

Ingredients
10 fresh oysters in their shell
½ cup lime juice
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
a handful of fresh chopped herbs (such as cilantro, basil, green onions, Asian mint)
water (optional)

Video Tutorial to make Spicy Lime Sauce:

Method:
Prepare the grill and meanwhile clean the oysters. Using a stiff brush scrub the oyster under cold running water. Make sure you scrub around the opening edges well. Rinse off any dirt off the shell.

Place the oysters on the grill so that none are overlapping. Place oysters so that they’re resting on their deeply curved halves of their shells so their juices don’t run out.

Grill for about 5-7 minutes or until the oysters starts to open. Carefully remove from grill.

To make the spicy lime sauce, in a bowl combine all remainder ingredients and mix well. Taste and adjust accordingly. If you feel that the lime is too strong for your taste you can dilute it with a couple teaspoons of water.

Some oysters might not open as wide as others therefore, you can use a fork to pry them open. Be careful, use kitchen towel if necessary. Serve on a half shell with some spicy lime sauce.