Raw Oysters with Mignonette Sauce Recipe

Take a cue from our family-favorite recipes and celebrate a sunny afternoon with fresh raw oysters and the perfect pairing of mignonette sauce. One of our favorite summer activities includes spending a relaxing weekend in Alligator Point and soaking up the warm, coastal air with the family. We visit the beach a few weekends during the summer, and each time, we savor the moments when the whole family is gathered under one roof. 

The summer season is the perfect opportunity to prepare delicious seafood meals and learn how to entertain our loved ones. When we have the family together, we find the best way to truly celebrate the season is with a delicious dinner featuring oysters with sauce. Served with our oyster plates and platters from our timeless Oyster Collection, the summer spread will feel complete. 
  
Gather and enjoy the time spent with those you love with a seafood celebration full of fresh oysters with mignonette sauce and good company. 

 

Why You Should Be Eating Oysters 

We understand if eating and preparing oysters can initially feel daunting, but if you’ve never tried them, you’re missing out. Oysters have seemingly endless health benefits, as they’re filled with vitamins, minerals, and proteins your body needs. They’re anti-inflammatory, meaning that they can help blood pressure and reduce chronic illness risks, such as heart disease. Not to mention that oyster recipes can aid in a romantic dining experience with you and your partner!  

What Pairs Best with Oysters?

Although raw oysters can be an acquired taste, our favorite way to prepare oysters is with a few sides and accompanying flavors that make the dish stand out. Set the oceanside mood by setting the table with the Oyster Plates so each guest can enjoy the sensational pairings you create. 

 

How to Choose The Right Oyster Recipe

For oyster lovers, choosing the right oyster recipe can be a challenge. With endless tasty sauces for oysters and personal preferences for raw versus cooked oysters, it can take some experimenting to find an oyster recipe you enjoy.  
  
The first step is determining whether you and your guests would enjoy raw or cooked oysters. Cooking your oysters will bring out a stronger seaside flavor in the oyster. If you enjoy mignonette sauces or other recipes for oyster sauces, raw oysters are the way to go. While raw oysters don’t tend to have a strong flavor, each sauce and pairing can transform how you enjoy them. There’s no wrong way to prepare your oysters—it’s all personal preference. 

 

Perfect Parings for Raw Oysters

We play around with different sauces and flavor pairings when we prepare our oyster platters. Bring out the natural briny flavors of your shucked seafood and complement them with your favorite oyster sauce recipes for endless combinations. From our mignonette sauce to other simple accompaniments, we rely on these classics at our oyster roasts: 

• Fresh lemon wedges  

• Homemade cocktail sauce - The more horseradish the better! 

• Classic saltine crackers  

• Mignonette Sauce  

What is Mignonette Sauce? 

Mignonette sauce, derived from the French term for dainty or darling, is a dipping sauce made from vinegar and shallots. This traditional sauce for oysters is enjoyed worldwide and can be a simple staple for any home. When you present your oyster platter, you or your guests can spoon the mignonette sauce directly onto the shell of each oyster. Serve it in a separate bowl so your guests can go back for more! 

The Secret to Perfecting Mignonette Sauce

The trick to the perfect mignonette sauce is through the different types of vinegar you choose to use. Whether you prefer red-wine vinegar or white-wine vinegar, the choice is yours, but the flavor may alter just a tad. 

When we think of a classic mignonette sauce, we typically use red-wine vinegar as the base to bring in a strong, savory flavor profile. The bolder red-wine vinegar paired with the freshly minced shallot and coarse ground pepper combines for a flavorful addition to the delicious raw oysters.   
  
As you get set to prepare your mignonette sauce for oysters, feel free to add or adjust the classic oyster sauce recipe to make it your own. Try malt vinegar or even raspberry-based vinegar instead to highlight a sweeter note. Toss in finely sliced chives to add more flavor and texture. The opportunities are truly endless. So have fun and customize your preferred mignonette sauce. 

  

What You’ll Need to Make Mignonette Sauce 

This oyster sauce recipe uses dinnerware items everyone owns and some quick pantry staples. Gather together your favorite small bowl and a spoon. 
  
It’s a simple three-ingredient sauce: vinegar, shallots, and black pepper. A vinegar-based oyster sauce helps balance the salty flavors of the oyster. Shallots add a delicate and sweet flavor to the oyster sauce recipe, with a hint of onion-like sharpness. Finally, a little pinch of black pepper is necessary to tie together the sweet, sharp, and briny combinations, bringing a bold taste to the recipe.  

Mignonette Sauce for Oysters Recipe:  

Serves 1 dozen oysters  

 

Ingredients:

½ cup red-wine vinegar  

3 tablespoons minced shallot  

Pinch of coarse ground pepper 

12 fresh large oysters 

 

Instructions: 

1. In a shallow bowl, add the red-wine vinegar, minced shallot, and pepper.  

2. Stir until well combined.  

3. Serve oysters with sauce on the side or drizzle the mignonette sauce over the shucked oysters. 

Notes for Mignonette Recipe 

We recommend storing this sauce for oysters in the fridge after mixing to allow the ingredients to set. Then, when it’s time to serve the taste of summer, prepare your batch of freshly shucked oysters with the bold and savory mignonette sauce. Enjoy this cool and refreshing sauce recipe for oysters on your next coastal getaway. 
  
Pro tip: You can immediately serve this simple oyster sauce recipe, but letting it sit will help the flavors intensify. While it’s an easy sauce to whip up when needed, making it ahead of time will give you a more complex taste. 

 

Serving Oysters with Mignonette Sauce 

When it’s time to plate your dish, shuck your oysters and serve on your oyster platter in the half shell over ice. Bring out your bowl of mignonette sauce and choose whether you want to spoon some onto each shell or allow your guests to serve themselves. Place the bowl in the center of your oyster plate or a few around the table so everyone can get a taste of your oyster sauce recipe.  

 

Setting the Tone for Your Oyster Dinner 

When we serve our favorite oyster sauce recipes, we enjoy setting the table and enhancing our home décor for a cohesive coastal theme. But oysters with mignonette sauce aren’t the only way to welcome that summery feeling—setting the table and adding nautical items around your home can transform your entertaining spaces. 

Whether planning a sit-down meal or a more casual backyard seafood dinner, setting the table for the occasion is a must. Our Oyster Collection features rich blue and white illustrations of oyster shells with gold accents. From the cocktail napkins to the thematic dinner plates, you can create an entire tablescape out of nautical dinnerware. Mix and match them with other foundational collections, like the neutral whites of the Signature White Collection or the warm wood texture of the Fundamentals Collection—the world is your oyster! 
  
When planning your intimate gathering, be sure to set the tone with décor in spaces other than your table. Hang our Oyster Large Hand Towel in your kitchen and the Oyster Medium Hand Towel in your bathroom so the theme carries into your home.  

 

Our Oyster Collection Includes:  

• Oyster Half Dozen Platter 

• Oyster Plate 

• Oyster Trinket Bowl 

• Oyster Hand Towels 

• Oyster Cocktail Napkins 

• Oyster Glass Ornament 

 

Why Use an Oyster Platter?

We love to serve our raw oysters with a mignonette sauce in our Oyster Half Dozen Platter, created especially for this occasion. As beautiful as it is functional, the oceanic blue of the oyster platter design also works to hold each shucked oyster shell. For garnishes and individual helpings, our oyster plates perfectly pair with the platter for a coastal-inspired tablescape you can be proud of. Serve these oysters with sauce with ease and delight your guests at the next seafood dinner you host. 

Pair this delicious dish with a summery Aperol Spritz and matching Oyster Cocktail Napkins, and you’ll have the perfect combination for a great evening.

Serving Up Your Oysters with Sauce 

For those additional accompaniments that truly make the raw oysters shine, add your fresh lemon wedges to a few Oyster Trinket Bowls for the perfect display. 
For a stylish setting to display freshly shucked oysters, serve your guests family-style with an Oyster Half Dozen Platter.  
Set a stunning table for your feast with an Oyster Plate at each setting.   
Proudly present your homemade mignonette sauce in a Signature White Ruffle Flare Small Bowl for a complementary look to your spread.    

 

As you plan to prepare oysters for your next gathering, give our timeless mignonette sauce a try. Feel inspired as you partake in the French tradition of half-shell oysters and design a tablescape you and your guests will never forget. Bring that coastal feeling to your table with oyster sauce recipes and an intimate gathering for your loved ones.  

 

 Serve It Up

	For those additional accompaniments that truly make the raw oysters shine. Add your fresh lemon wedges to a few Oyster Trinket Bowls for the perfect display.
A stylish setting to display your freshly shucked oysters. Serve your guests family-style with an Oyster Half Dozen Platter.
	Set a stunning table for your feast with an Oyster Plate at each setting.
Proudly present your homemade mignonette sauce in a Signature White Ruffle Flare Small Bowl for a complementary look to your spread.