I’ve always loved Thai tom yum soup. That hot and sour, slightly spicy broth is one of those flavors I never get tired of, and since tom yum is almost always made with fish or shellfish, pairing it with oysters felt like a very natural step. Turning those flavors into a tom yum butter was an easy way to keep things simple while still letting the oysters shine.
The result is a slightly unexpected but really elegant way to serve oysters. They stay juicy, soak up all that fragrant, citrusy butter, and look beautiful when they come straight out of the oven. It’s a great starter if you’re putting together an Asian inspired meal, but it also works just as well on its own when you want something a little special without too much effort.
Notes
Save the shells and place the shucked and cleaned oysters back in them before baking. It looks great on the table and helps keep the oysters swimming in the butter.
If you’re not great with heat, just skip the Thai chili. The dish still has plenty of flavor without it.
Tom yum paste is available at most Asian grocery stores.
Read my blog post about when I went on an oyster safari at the Wadden Sea in Denmark, and picked the oysters you can see in the photos in this recipe.
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Recipe: Oysters in Tom Yum Butter
6
oystersIngredients
6 fresh oysters, shucked and cleaned
2 tablespoons butter
1-2 teaspoons tom yum paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1-2 teaspoons finely grated palm sugar
1 small red Thai bird’s eye chili, finely chopped
Fresh cilantro
Lime wedges for serving
Directions
- Start with the prep. Finely grate the palm sugar. Pick the cilantro leaves and finely chop the chili.
- Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add the tom yum paste and stir well to combine with the butter.
- Add the fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar. Let everything simmer briefly until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and adjust so there is a good balance between sour, salty, and sweet.
- Place the shucked and cleaned oysters in an oven safe dish. Make sure they sit securely so the sauce does not spill out.
- Spoon 2 to 3 teaspoons of tom yum butter over each oyster.
- Bake the oysters in the oven at 400°F (200ºC) for about 5 to 7 minutes. They should be heated through but still juicy.
- Remove the dish from the oven and drizzle the oysters with a little extra lime juice. Sprinkle with finely chopped chili and fresh cilantro just before serving.
- Serve the oysters hot straight from the oven with extra lime wedges on the side.
