Published in the February 2012 issue

The coastal culture of the South is a part of who I am as a person and as a chef. If it swims in the Gulf of Mexico, I've caught it and cooked it, and that goes for oysters, too. Some of my earliest memories are of my father taking me fishing out in the Gulf, off the coast of Texas. As we fished, we would eat raw oysters by the dozen, with a dash of hot sauce.

For a lot of people, though, oysters are a little special. You order them at steakhouses or have them in seafood towers. With a martini, maybe. I'm all for that, but roast some at home and you'll get a little closer to understanding everyday life in a fishing community.

I think people need to understand the impact of the water where the oyster falls. Oysters are the most sustainable food because they truly are what they eat — right down to the mineral content, the salinity, and the temperature of the water pumped through their gills. Don't let the difference in their size and shape throw you; from Maine on down to the Gulf, all native East Coast oysters are the same species: Crassostrea virginica. What distinguishes them is their watery home. Oysters from colder water are firmer, with a flinty, mineral-like taste, perfect for eating on the half shell. But Gulf oysters are sweeter and meatier, with deep-cup shells and more liquor, so they don't dry out when you apply heat. (I like to showcase local seafood at my restaurants, and I'm especially proud of the oysters from the newly revitalized Galveston Bay. But if you can't get your hands on Texas oysters, you'll get good results from larger cold-water oysters, like bluepoints.)

We roast more oysters at the restaurant than you can imagine, and our method also works at home. To help keep the oysters moist, we roast them on a bed of hot rock salt that allows each oyster to cook with equal heat from above and below, steaming in its own juices without drying out. Whether you're roasting oysters or just eating them on the half shell, serving them on a bed of rock salt keeps the oysters level, so they don't tip over and lose any of their liquor — that's pure flavor. At this point, a martini is optional. I usually crack open a Shiner Bock. —As told to Francine Maroukian

Oven-Roasted Oysters

Chef Bryan Caswell, Reef and El Real, Houston

Crank the oven to 425 degrees. Fill a baking pan halfway with rock salt.

Rinse the oysters free of mud and sand and set them aside. Do not dry — in the hot oven, the excess moisture will create steam that loosens the hinge muscle, making the oyster easier to open.

Place pan in preheated oven until the rock salt is crazy hot, about 15 minutes.

Place the damp oysters, deep-cup-side down, on the hot rock salt. (Don't overcrowd, as they need air circulation.) Return pan to oven to roast until the tension on the hinge seals is released and the oyster is slightly open, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any that do not open at all.

Working one by one and using a folded kitchen towel, hold each oyster level (so you don't lose any liquid) and open with an oyster knife (or, in a pinch, we've used a paring knife, with care).

First, hold the knife curved-side down, tracing the upper shell, cutting the adductor muscle, and removing the top shell.

Then go curved-side up along the bottom, again severing the adductor.Many oyster knivesare gently curved in order to follow the shape of the shell. It is an easy process.

Leave the oyster sitting in the bottom shell and serve with a drop of hot sauce — Louisiana Crystal brand is mild enough to let the flavor of the oyster shine through — or sriracha. You can also add a dot of cocktail sauce (recipe below).

Cocktail Sauce

Serve the sauce in small portions, keeping back-up containers in the refrigerator so the sauce is always fresh and cold. Small (about 2-ounce) white porcelain ramekins (like miniature soufflé dishes) will work. They are often sold in multi-packets at kitchen supply stores and are also useful for individual servings of jam, syrup, or salt. —Francine Maroukian

• 12-ounce jar Heinz chili sauce

• 3 tablespoons grated white horseradish (or more if you are stout-hearted), available in refrigerated jars at the supermarket

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to use and serve cold, cold, cold.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups (and keeps well in the refrigerator).

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