Although we always prefer our oysters in their birthday suites, minus perhaps for the occasional slight squirt of a lemon, all the various preparations and recipes out there can be intriguing. We have thrown them on the grill before, and have even ordered them cooked in restaurants, but never have we shucked our oysters at home with plans to alter their natural identity. It was time for a game change, and what better time to do it than Superbowl Sunday.

With a meat heavy menu all set for the game, oysters would essentially be our starting point. After some browsing through various sites and blogs, no particular recipe seemed to be “the one”. So it was off to the store, to see what caught our eyes and what would be worthy of our oyster recreation.

In season and exceptionally large, we chose to stay local with Blue Points. A half dozen oysters in the shopping cart, we picked up a few ingredients from the produce section, some bread crumbs, and parmesan cheese. Now it was back to the house to shuck and bake. With the baby backs smoking on the grill, and the chicken wings braising on the stove top, our oysters would have to metamorphose in the oven. Ok, it wasn’t that dramatic, but rather a fun cooking experiment with positively received results.

Big Blue Manninghams

-One Dozen Oysters (the bigger the better)

-1/2 of a small shallot-chopped

-4 garlic cloves (cause you can never have too much garlic)

-2 tablespoons chopped parsley

-1.5 teaspoons chopped chives

-olive oil and butter for cooking

-1/4 cup of bread crumbs

-1/4 cub of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Shuck the oysters, and set on a baking dish covered with aluminum foil.

Mix the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together and set aside.

Melt one tablespoon of butter with one tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. When nice and heated, brown the shallots and garlic. Let them cook and turn slightly brown. Towards the very end, throw in the parsley, but do not allow to cook for more than 30 seconds. Spoon the mixture on top of each shucked oysters, followed by a generous topping of the bread crumbs/parmesan mixture. Sprinkle some chopped chives on top and place into the oven. Allow the oysters to bake for about 18-20 minutes. Once they are almost ready, switch the setting to broil, and allow them to cook for an additional one or two minutes. Remove from the oven, plate, squirt with a little lemon, and enjoy!!

It was a hail mary attempt, and just like The Giants, our Blue Point Oysters were winners on this beautiful Superbowl Sunday in East Hampton. Go Big Blue!!