Last updated on November 13th, 2023
Oven baked oysters are topped with a buttery mixture of garlic, herbs, and white wine and sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
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Several years ago, The Husband and I made a road trip to Louisiana to visit friends. They took us out to a seafood restaurant that was known for having good oysters. I was pregnant with Big Brother at the time, so raw oysters on the half shell were out. That’s when I discovered the beauty that is grilled oysters.
The Husband and I loved the grilled oysters so much, we later tried to recreate them at home. Unfortunately, we are not master oyster shuckers. In fact, we’ve both come to the opinion that we hate shucking oysters. Thankfully, another friend introduced us to canned oysters baked in a muffin pan. We haven’t shucked another oyster since.
Ingredients and tools you will need
- 24 shucked, raw whole oysters – When purchasing shucked oysters, I head straight to the fresh seafood section of my local grocery store. Next to the display of fish, there is a refrigerated case full of fresh prepackaged items. There, I can always find one or two brands of fresh, whole shucked oysters. If your store doesn’t have a robust seafood section and there isn’t a seafood market close by, scope out the canned meat aisle close to the canned tuna. Looked for canned whole oysters – not smoked and not boiled. You want raw.
- 1 cup unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
- 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 ounce dry white wine – Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Blanc are good choices.
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 loaf French bread or saltine crackers
- Muffin pan – the regular sized 12 cup muffin pans work well. Stay away from mini muffin pans. They are generally not large enough to accomodate the oysters and the butter sauce.
Make the garlic butter sauce
In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup of the unsalted butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the diced green onions, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, dried thyme, dried oregano, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning. Stir everything to combine.
Sauté the butter mixture for two minutes. Add the white wine and continue to sauté, stirring continuously, until the green onions are soft. Remove the saucepan from the heat and it allow to cool for three minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup of butter to the sauce. Stir until the final stick of butter has melted. The sauce should have a creamy consistency at this point. Set the butter aside.
Prep the oysters
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place one oyster in the bottom of each cup in a muffin pan. If your oysters are exceptionally large, you may want to cut them in half. Some brands remove the foot that the oyster uses to attach itself to the inside of its shell. It’s usually a tough, suction cup looking thing. If this hasn’t been removed from your oysters, remove and discard this now.
Spoon an equal amount of garlic butter sauce over the top of each oyster. I like to try to make sure each oyster is submerged in the sauce. Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for seven minutes.
Remove the oven baked oysters from the oven and sprinkle the top of each with one tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
I like to serve baked oysters straight out of the oven with sliced, toasted French bread. The husband likes his oysters on saltine crackers. Spoon an oyster onto the center of a slice of bread or a cracker. Don’t forget to drizzle some of that leftover garlic butter sauce over the top. Sprinkle with additional shredded Parmesan cheese, chopped green onions or a sprinkle of hot sauce is desired.
Grilling
If you love the flavor of grilled oysters … good news! This technique also works well on a gas or charcoal grill. Simply place the muffin pans over a preheated grill and follow the instructed cooking times.
Storage, Reheating and Freezing
Don’t do it. Trust me when I say, these are best eaten right out of the oven. Oysters tend to turn rubbery when reheated. Likewise, freezing and thawing cooked oysters will change the texture and flavor.
Frequently asked questions
For best results, I would plan on baking these within 24 hours of assembling them.
How long will oysters keep in my refrigerator before I need to cook them?
Shucked oysters will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Are these oysters fully cooked?
Yes, they are full cooked once they come out of the oven.
Can I cook these in a casserole dish instead of a muffin pan?
You can! Arrange the oysters on a single layer on the bottom of an 8 x 8 casserole dish. Pour the garlic butter over the top and continue to follow the instructions.
Can I leave out the white wine?
Yes, you can leave out the wine altogether or substitute it with chicken broth.
More Oyster Recipes
Oven Baked Oysters
Ingredients
- 24 raw shucked oysters
- 1 cup unsalted butter divided
- 1/2 cup green onions chopped
- 5 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 ounce white wine
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 loaf French bread or saltine crackers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium saucepan, melt 1/2 a cup of butter over medium heat.
- Add the green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano, lemon juice Worcestershire and Creole seasoning.
- Sauté the butter mixture for two minutes. Add the white wine.
- Stir the ingredients continuously and continue to sauté until the green onions are soft.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the garlic butter to cool for three minutes.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup of butter to the sauce. Stir until the butter is melted and the sauce has a creamy consistency.
- Place one oyster in the center of each cup in a muffin pan.
- Ladle one tablespoon of the garlic butter sauce on top of each oyster.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes until the butter begins to bubble and the oysters start to rise.
- Remove the pan from the oven and top with equal amounts of Parmesan cheese. Cook the oysters for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve the oysters immediately with warm French bread for dipping.
Hi, Doris. I did not use oysters in the shell. I purchased them pre-shucked. Refer to the section Ingredients And Tools You Will Need and I explain some options. You do not cook the oysters first. If you follow the instructions given in the recipe, they oysters will be cooked by the end.
Hi, I love oysters but I never shucked them therefore, I’m new to how to prepared them, on this recipe do I open the oysters while they are raw then put them in the pan or do I bake or boiled them first then put them on the pan? If I baked them first how long do I bakes them also after I put the butter sauce on them how long should I bake them again? I hope you understand my questions. This is not a duplicate question, my first time. Thank you.
I’m so glad to hear that!
Truly appreciate the way you made this wonderful recipe. Everything is so nicely described that really helped me.
Hi Lisa, thanks for the tip! Do you remember how long you broiled them for? I am so glad you enjoyed these oysters!
These are fantastic it! My husband loved them. the only changed I made is I broiled them at 400 degrees instead of baking and I didn’t use the second 1/2 of butter.
Whoa! These look delish! I love oysters and i’m always super excited to find new ways to cook these! I guess I know what I’m doing this weekend! 🙂