Drago’s Style Charbroiled Oysters Recipe
I just made Drago’s Style Charbroiled Oysters, and I have to say again that this is simply the best damned way to eat an Oyster known to man. I didn’t use the official recipe, generously shared by Drago’s Chef Tommy Cvitanovich here, but altered it a little, because that is just what I do.
By the way, I hope you all know that the “official” recipes, never contain ALL of the ingredients that make the dish what you know and love. I wouldn’t respect them if they told you ALL of their secrets! Just in case you’re wondering why you made it at home and it doesn’t taste the same? Because they (not just Drago’s, all restaurants!) aren’t telling you the whole story. They want your hungry butt in a seat in their dining room, with question marks swirling around your head about why their’s tastes so much better than the one you tried to make at home. God love ‘em for it, that’s business.
Personally, I’m not a secret recipe guy. I have a few that I won’t share with you because someone else let me have their secret recipe, and made me swear that I wouldn’t tell a soul, and I never will. I have a Praline recipe that unfortunately will never see the light of day on Nola Cuisine and it’s a damned good one.
Anyway, back to the ersters. The only problem I found with my version here is that I only made half a dozen.
Drago’s Style Charbroiled Oysters Recipe
The Sauce:
1 Stick Unsalted Butter, very soft
1 Pinch Kosher Salt
1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
4 Tbsp Pecorino Romano
1 pinch Cayenne
1 pinch White Pepper
1 Spritz Lemon Juice
1 tsp Minced Italian Parsley
Whisk together all ingredients.
For the Oysters:
1 Dozen Large freshly shucked Oysters on the half shell (preferrably Louisiana) Watch my quicktime video on How to Shuck an Oyster
1 Recipe of the Sauce, above
Pecorino Romano to finish
Minced Italian Parsley for garnish
Fresh Bread
Lemon wedges
Mix together all of the ingredients.
Heat a charcoal or gas grill until very, very hot. Place the oysters on the hottest spot on the grill and let them cook in their own juices for a few minutes, just until they start to bubble and the edges curl. Top each with a generous portion of the sauce, enough to fill up the shell. When the sauce starts to bubble and sizzle sprinkle each oyster with about a Tbsp of Pecorino Romano. Let the Oysters go until the sauce on the edges of the shells gets nice and brown. Garnish with minced Parsley.
Serve while still sizzling with Lemon wedges and fresh bread.
Note: The more sauce that oozes onto the plate the better for mopping up with the bread. Also, don’t be as foolish as me and just make half a dozen, 3 dozen is more like it.
Drago’s Seafood Restaurant is located at:
3232 N Arnoult Rd
Metairie, LA 70002-4738
(504) 888-9254
For pics of the real deal click here:
Drago’s Char-broiled
Oysters at Egullet
The Perlow’s latest trip to Drago’s at Off the Broiler
More Oyster recipe on Nola Cuisine:
Chargrilled Oysters with Artichoke Garlic Cream Sauce
Oysters Bienville Recipe
Oysters on the half shell
Be sure and check out my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes!
I LOVE Drago’s oysters. I used to live in an apartment that was about three blocks away from there, and I could just walk outside in the evenings and smell the place.
By the way, I linked to your site from my foodblog. Hope you don’t mind! I was surprised to find that there aren’t a lot of New Orleans food blogs out there. Yours is really good!
Comment by Karen — March 19, 2006 @ 4:32 pm
Oooo I can’t wait to try this out.
Each time I find a new way to eat oysters I am simply amazed.
Damn, I’m hungry.
Comment by McAuliflower — April 29, 2006 @ 3:30 pm
I gotta make some of these - love the ones at Drago’s. Gonna get me a big sack and eat several dozen raw, then after my eyes cross from that little fest, do some of these. The rest, of course will be fried. Or thrown in a gumbo. Or just eaten raw with some lemon (again).
Comment by Jeff — July 26, 2006 @ 8:18 pm
Just came back from New Orleans where I piggged out at Dragos
in the Hilton.On charbroiled ersters of course. I love oysters raw or fixed any way, but that was the best.
Have ordered oysters for next weekend and YOUR recipe gets
the test.
Comment by J.D. Ackerman — April 21, 2008 @ 10:11 pm
Here is one of my favorite recipes.Comes from the area where La. meets Texas.Take 10 Pablano peppers splitting them from the big ed to the point.On the big end make a cut 1/2 half the way around.Now open them up and cut and remove the seed pack,also at this time carefully remove the stem takng care not to damage the pepper.Put aside for now.Next take 6 pieces of bacon.Cut into small pieces about the size of your thumbnail.Start frying on medium heat in a large size frying pan Add 1/2 a medium onion cut into small pieces and 6 jalipano peppers also cored and cut into small pieces.When this mixture is about 1/2 cooked you have to drain the mixture.Drain the bacon grease off.Otherwise the filling will be to greasy.At this time you add 8 bouden sticks.Cut the bouden sticks open and empty the contents into the pan with the bacon mixture.Now add 1 cup of cooked rice and mix into the bouden mixture (This is the extender).Mix together well.Take the peppers and hold them open.Spoon the bouden mixture into the peppers taking care not to overfill the peppers.After the peppers are filled top with motserella cheese.Place all the peppers on a large baking sheet.Bake at 400 degrees for no longer then 30 minutes otherwise you will burn the cheese.Serve with a baked potatoe and a lettice and tomatoe salid.You can also use this recipe using shrimp or crawfish bouden.The only change you make is to not drain the bacon because the rice in the shrimp and crawfish bouden tends to be dry.”This bouden will not be greasy” ENJOY
Comment by Leonard Long — July 13, 2008 @ 10:02 am
Here is one of my favorite recipes.Comes from the area where La. meets Texas.Take 10 Pablano peppers splitting them from the big ed to the point.On the big end make a cut 1/2 half the way around.Now open them up and cut and remove the seed pack,also at this time carefully remove the stem takng care not to damage the pepper.Put aside for now.Next take 6 pieces of bacon.Cut into small pieces about the size of your thumbnail.Start frying on medium heat in a large size frying pan Add 1/2 a medium onion cut into small pieces and 6 jalipano peppers also cored and cut into small pieces.When this mixture is about 1/2 cooked you have to drain the mixture.Drain the bacon grease off.Otherwise the filling will be to greasy.At this time you add 8 bouden sticks.Cut the bouden sticks open and empty the contents into the pan with the bacon mixture.Now add 1 cup of cooked rice and mix into the bouden mixture (This is the extender).Mix together well.Take the peppers and hold them open.Spoon the bouden mixture into the peppers taking care not to overfill the peppers.After the peppers are filled top with motserella cheese.Place all the peppers on a large baking sheet.Bake at 400 degrees for no longer then 30 minutes otherwise you will burn the cheese.Serve with a baked potatoe and a lettice and tomatoe salid.You can also use this recipe using shrimp or crawfish bouden.The only change you make is to not drain the bacon because the rice in the shrimp and crawfish bouden tends to be dry.”This bouden will not be greasy” ENJOY”
Comment by Leonard Long — July 13, 2008 @ 10:03 am
I’m from New Orleans and evacuated to Little Rock, AR due to Katrina. I keep NOLA alive in my cooking. Wanted to try this recipe with sparkling wine. Now I have the recipe.
Thanks,
Lorrie
Comment by Lorrie S. LeBeaux — August 6, 2008 @ 4:51 pm