Charbroiled Oysters appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Charbroiled oysters · New Orleans
Charbroiled oysters are Gulf oysters basted in butter, garlic and Parmesan, flame-grilled in the shell until the edges curl and the liquor bubbles into the cheese crust. Smoky, briny, eaten with French bread.
Charbroiled oysters were invented in 1993 by Tommy Cvitanovich at Drago's in Metairie as a way to introduce nervous customers to raw-oyster country. The dish spread across New Orleans through the late 1990s and is now standard at every French Quarter oyster bar. The Gulf oyster is briny enough to stand up to the butter-garlic baste; Acme Oyster House started running a Drago's-style version in the 2000s and Felix's matched. Fine-dining rooms (GW Fins, Peche) plate refined versions, but the canonical Quarter form is the dozen in the shell over flame.
Where to eat in New Orleans:
- Acme Oyster House
- Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar
- GW Fins