Gul-gui (Grilled Oysters)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Outdoor grill or wide heavy lidded pan
• •Stiff shellfish brush
• •Long tongs
• •Small oyster knife or sturdy paring knife
• •Heatproof tray for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Buy and check

   Buy oysters from a fishmonger you trust, packed cold and smelling clean like the sea, not sour. Keep them cold, cup side down, under a damp towel in the refrigerator until cooking. Discard any oyster with a cracked shell, any that smells off, and any open oyster that does not close when tapped. This is not fussiness; shellfish asks for respect before it asks for fire.

   For a dinner party, buy the oysters the same day if you can. If you must hold them, keep them at 1 to 4 degrees C and cook within 24 hours.
2. 2

   Scrub the shells

   Put the oysters in a sink or large basin with cold water and the coarse salt. Scrub each shell hard with a stiff brush, especially around the hinge and ridges where mud hides. Rinse under cold running water and drain cup side down. Clean shells matter because the liquor inside is part of what you eat.

3. 3

   Mix cho-ganjang

   Stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon water, maesil-cheong, scallion, chili if using, sesame seeds, and gochugaru if using. Taste it before the oysters are cooked. It should be sharp and salty enough that one or two drops wake up the oyster, not so strong that you spoon it over everything and lose the oyster beneath it.

4. 4

   Heat the grill

   For charcoal or gas, heat the grill to medium-high, about 220 to 250 degrees C, and set the grate 10 to 15 cm above the heat. For indoor cooking, heat a wide heavy pan with a tight lid over medium-high heat, add 1 cup water, and work in batches. The vessel can change. The timing cannot.

5. 5

   Grill cup side down

   Arrange the oysters cup side down in one layer so their liquor stays in the deep half of the shell. Cover the grill or pan. Cook 5 to 8 minutes for medium oysters and 8 to 10 minutes for large ones, until the top shells lift or the hinge loosens. Do not keep moving them. They need steady heat more than attention.

6. 6

   Finish after opening

   When an oyster opens, give it 30 to 60 seconds more. The flesh should be plump, opaque at the edges, and still sitting in its own clear liquor. Transfer opened oysters to a tray with tongs. Any oyster that stays tightly closed after 10 to 12 minutes should be discarded. A stubborn shell is not a prize.

7. 7

   Serve immediately

   Set the oysters on the table with the cho-ganjang and lemon wedges if using. Open the top shell carefully, keeping the cup level so the liquor does not spill, loosen the oyster with a small knife, and add only a drop or two of sauce. Eat while hot. Let it taste like itself.

Chef Tips

• •Choose heavy oysters for their size. A heavy shell usually means good liquor inside, and that liquor is half the pleasure of gul-gui.
• •Do not pry raw oysters open for this dish unless you know how to shuck safely. Whole-shell grilling is kinder to a home cook and keeps the liquor where it belongs.
• •If your oysters are small, start checking at 4 minutes. If they are very large Jangheung-style oysters, they may need 10 minutes. The shell opening is your signal, then the 30 to 60 seconds after opening is the measure that keeps them cooked but still tender.
• •Serve with plain rice, baechu-kimchi, a clean radish salad, and soju or makgeolli if your table drinks. Keep banchan sharp and simple; the oysters are already generous.

Advance Preparation

• •Mix the cho-ganjang up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate it. Add the scallion and chili within 2 hours of serving so they stay fresh.
• •Scrub the oysters up to 4 hours ahead, drain them well, and keep them refrigerated cup side down under a damp towel. Do not soak cleaned oysters in fresh water, because it weakens their flavor and can harm live shellfish.
• •Gul-gui is not a make-ahead dish. Cook the oysters only when the table is ready, and discard cooked oysters left at room temperature longer than 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 170g)