Oysters Kilpatrick

Oysters Kilpatrick are a favorite way to prepare oysters in Australia, and it's easy to understand why. Topped with bacon and an easy, flavorful sauce, it's one delicious combination.

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They are not something I have all that often, but I do definitely appreciate a good oyster. When we went to Tasmania, they were on my list to have while there since they are sourced so locally and I'd heard are good quality.

Of course, with us self catering part of the time, it ended up only an option on the last night but they didn't disappoint. While you may see a couple of options in how they are served, most restaurants in Australia will have at least two options on the menu: natural (ie as they are, with a slice of lemon on the side) and Kilpatrick. And they are easy to make at home, too.

Where are oysters Kilpatrick from?

Despite their popularity in Australia, it's not entirely clear where this dish originates. There are stories that an alternative name, oysters Kirkpatrick, was first coined in San Francisco. Apparently the chef at the Palace Hotel named them after the hotel manager.

There are other stories, and even if the above one is true, they likely weren't a new creation, just naming. 

Whatever the origin, all you really need to know is these are both delicious and easy.

What's in the Kilpatrick sauce?

The core ingredients in this dish are oysters, bacon and Worcestershire sauce, but the other ingredients in the sauce can vary. Some use barbecue sauce or butter in there. A lot of Australian recipes add a dash or so of tabasco.

But the simplest, and probably most common, is just mixing the Worcestershire sauce with ketchup (known as tomato sauce in Australia). Despite being two ingredients, they both have a lot of flavor and work really well with the bacon. 

You might think all those flavors might overwhelm the oysters but really they are a lovely match. True, the oyster flavor isn't as distinct as on their own, but I think you get a great appreciation of their texture.

To me, this is a great introduction to oysters if you aren't too sure about them as well, as you have some other great flavors to enjoy with them. 

How to cook these oysters

You have a couple of options in how you cook these. One way is to cook them on the grill/barbecue. If you do, they just need a couple minutes and you may want to scrunch up some foil to rest them on to help stop them fall over, or else rest them in the grates on your grill. 

The other option is to cook them in the oven or under the broiler/grill. Of these, the oven is going to give you a more even cook while the broiler you will want to watch closely so the toppings don't burn.

For these cooking methods, you would traditionally rest them in a bed of rock salt to keep them stable. Alternatively, you can use scrunched up foil, as I did for my oysters Rockefeller. 

For all, I recommend pre-cooking the bacon as you want to make sure it is definitely cooked through, and you don't want to dry out your oysters just to do that. So pre-cook it, mix up the sauce then put both on top of the oysters. Finish off with a quick cook and serve.

You can see how it comes together in the short video.

These oysters Kilpatrick make an easy, elegant appetizer, or serve more in a serving with sides for a full meal. They come together easily, with fantastic flavors. Definitely worth treating yourself to soon.

Try these other elegant seafood appetizers

• Salmon tartare
• Fish crudo
• Tuna tataki
• Plus get more appetizer recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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