It used to be that you could buy and eat oysters only in months with an "R" in them. That's because during the summer months of spawning, wild oysters develop an "off" flavor. Transporting oysters in hot weather, before the days of refrigerated trucks, was also problematic. Today, about 80 percent of oysters are farm-raised in submerged nets, dining on plankton in carefully controlled marine environments. They spawn at different times during the year, so there's always a variety available that's good to eat. When ready, they're harvested and shipped by air to seafood markets. If you're not comfortable shucking oysters at home, have the fishmonger shuck them for you and ask him or her to give you a half shell for each oyster.
In this recipe, you'll get smoky flavor from two sources: the wood-grilling technique and the chipotle chile in the vinaigrette.
Recipe notes
Back to topSee Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
Welcome to Our Korean Barbecue Disco Party
Your guide to grilling (and dancing) until sundown with plenty of banchan, grilled pork belly, oysters, and makgeolli.Our Greatest Grilled Seafood Recipes
If it lives in the water, it belongs on the fire.6 Recipes for the Sweltering, Colorful Days of Mid-August
Man, it's hot out there. But it's also bountiful, and beautiful, and...eh, no, it's still mainly just hot.This Weekend, Grill a Whole Fish
Because even if you're far from the nearest beach, you can still get a taste of summer by the sea.A Super Seaside Cookout
Celebrate beach season with our favorite grilled seafood recipes—whether you live by the ocean or not.
