Oysters off the aftdeck grill...

Gotta' admit many of us Pacific Northwest yokels have a hankering for bivalve mollusks. Oysters, of course are reputed to have aphrodisiac powers. This maybe due to the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, who came from the sea on an oyster shell. The oyster is said to be one of the reasons that the Romans conquered the Isles of Wright. Their emperors sent thousands of slaves to the shores of the English Channel to gather oysters said to be worth their weight in gold. If we’re serving fresh oysters’ au natural (right off the rocks) we use lemon juice or Worcestershire sauce with a bit of seaweed. Keep the fresh oysters very chilled. Hot off the grill and we prefer this mixture… • ½ cup of mayo • ½ cup of your favorite green olive marinate (serve olives on the side) • squeeze in some fresh lemon • very lightly sauté a clove of garlic. Mince and add • grind in a ½ teaspoon of course black pepper If the crew are fond of spicy try adding red pepper flakes or wasibi . We pour all the above ingredients into a small wide-mouth jar, tightly screw on the lid and shake vigorously. Often we make our oyster sauce in advance and chill it so the ingredients amalgamate. It will easily keep for several days Serve with fresh garlic bread. Holding the hot oyster against a chunk of bread, dip the whole kit in the sauce and savor the results… For best results wash down with a cold brew or slightly chilled glass of wine. You’ll feel like an emperor of old…