I usually prefer my oysters fresh and unmolested, but things have changed since trying Oysters Kilpatrick for the first time at Mikano in April. They were Bluff and they were divine, but at $5 each, they are a special occasion treat.

Oysters Kilpatrick is a dish from Australia and this 70’s retro-to-the-gills recipe isn’t for the faint hearted. Can you taste the oysters at their full potential? Maybe not. Are they delicious? Yes sir!

I’ve always said Worcestershire rather awkwardly and today I noticed this month’s edition of Taste Magazine sorts me right out:

How do I say…Worcestershire? The famous secret-recipe sauce named for its English home county has lost a syllable over time: ‘Wuss-tuh-shuh’ or just ‘Wuss-tuh’ for short.

I’ve been ordering my oysters from New Zealand Seafoods (www.nzseafoods.co.nz) for years. They own oyster farms in Mahurangi Harbour and offer fresh, shucked Pacific oysters for $50NZ (about $40US) for 5 dozen. It’s about $6 to deliver which I consider money well spent. The oysters are always well packaged (export quality) and ready to eat.

Oysters Kilpatrick

Ingredients

12 fresh Pacific oysters (opened)
2 rashers of cooked streaky bacon, sliced into matchsticks
1 lemon
3 tablespoon tomato sauce
3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon melted butter
3 tablespoon grated cheese 
Black pepper

Preparation

1. Turn on grill  to 200°C.
2. In a frying pan, cook the bacon matchsticks until cooked.
3. Set the oysters on an oven tray lined with foil. Bunch up the foil so they oysters have a nice bed to lay upon.
4. Top with the cooked bacon and a sliver of butter.
5. Mix Worcestershire and tomato sauce together, to create the ‘Kilpatrick’ sauce. Top oysters with this sauce and grated cheese. Grind a little black pepper on top.
6. Grill for 2-5 minutes.
7. Serve with lemon wedges.