grilled oysters with fennel butter

Ingredients

• Servings: 24
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, ground
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon shallots, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fennel greens
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 24 unopened, fresh, live medium oysters

Recipe

• prepare and light a grill or preheat the oven to 500 degrees f (260 degrees c).
• in a small bowl, blend together the butter, ground fennel seeds, shallots, fennel bulb, fennel greens, pepper and salt.
• arrange the oysters on the grill or oven rack, cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until they start hissing and begin to open.
• using an oyster knife, pry each oyster open at the hinge, loosen the oyster and discard the flat shell. top each oyster with 1/2 teaspoon of the fennel butter. return to grill and cook until butter is melted and hot.