Dino's American-greek Style Baked Oysters Recipe

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Position a rack in the middle of the oven.

If oysters are not already shucked, carefully shuck 24 oysters, keeping the oyster meat in the deeper half of the shell and discarding the top shell. Rinse gently to remove grit and drain on paper towels. Place oysters on a baking sheet; to stabilize them, bed the sheet with a layer of coarse salt or rock salt or crushed ice so shells sit level.

Sauté aromatics and vegetables

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter with the olive oil. Add the minced shallot and cook 2–3 minutes until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant. Add the diced red bell pepper and cook 2–3 minutes until softened.

Deglaze and wilt greens

Pour in the white wine (or chicken broth) and cook 1–2 minutes until slightly reduced. Add the chopped spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat and let cool 2 minutes.

Combine topping components

Transfer the sautéed mixture to a mixing bowl. Stir in the chopped Kalamata olives, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled feta, grated Pecorino/Parmesan, panko breadcrumbs, lemon juice, chopped oregano, chopped parsley, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using). Taste and adjust seasoning — the mixture should be bright, slightly salty, and cohesive but not wet; if too loose, add up to 1–2 tablespoons more panko.

Spoon about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the American-Greek topping onto each oyster, gently mounding it over the meat but not packing so tight that the oyster is completely covered; the topping should sit on the hinge side to stay on during baking.

If desired, very lightly drizzle a tiny bit (about 1/4 tsp) of extra-virgin olive oil over each topped oyster to encourage browning.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake 8–10 minutes, until the topping is golden at spots, breadcrumbs are toasted, and the edges of the oyster begin to set. For a browned finish, switch the oven to broil and broil 1–2 minutes while watching carefully so the topping does not burn.

Remove oysters from the oven and let rest 1–2 minutes.

Arrange oysters on a platter over crushed ice (or coarse salt) for presentation. Garnish with extra chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges alongside. Optionally pass additional hot sauce or a Greek-style drizzle (mix 2 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, pinch of oregano) if guests want extra.

Serve immediately while hot. Leftovers: remove oysters from shells and store in an airtight container up to 24 hours; texture will change.