Regional U.S.
Margarita Oysters
The cocktail, spooned over the shell — lime, tequila, and a salty rim.
Prep15 min
Shuck15 min
Serves4
Somebody out there figured out that a margarita and a raw oyster want the same things — lime, salt, and a little bite — and started spooning the cocktail right over the shell. A splash of blanco tequila in a lime-shallot mignonette, a pinch of flaky salt on top like the rim of the glass, and cilantro instead of the orange wheel.
Ingredients
Set servings and the amounts update themselves. This is the only ingredient list on the page.
servings
Steps
- Stir the lime juice, tequila, shallot, and jalapeño together in a small bowl. Chill 20 minutes so the flavors marry.
- Shuck the oysters: nestle each one cup-side down in a folded kitchen towel, work an oyster knife into the hinge, and twist until it pops. Slide the knife along the top shell to sever it, then cut the bottom adductor muscle. Keep the liquor.
- Nestle the bottom shells into crushed ice so they sit level.
- Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the margarita mignonette over each oyster, finish with a pinch of flaky salt — that's the rim — and a cilantro leaf. Serve with lime wedges.
Tip: Keep the tequila to a tablespoon: more and it steamrolls the oyster instead of seasoning it. And use fresh lime juice only — bottled lime juice makes the whole thing taste like a mix.
Raw oysters — eat at your own risk: Raw oysters can carry Vibrio bacteria, which can cause serious illness — and a contaminated oyster looks, smells, and tastes no different from a safe one. What Vibrio is, from the CDC → Buy from a reputable fishmonger, keep oysters cold until you shuck them, and discard any that gape open and don't close when tapped. Anyone pregnant, immunocompromised, or with liver disease should skip raw oysters.