Oyster shooters are a fun, tasty cocktail-hors d’oeuvre hybrid. Take a freshly shucked plump oyster, drop it into a shot glass, top off with booze, and tip it back. I started serving them at Bobby Flay Steak, where the mood is festive and the diners are often open to excess. This shooter adds a meaty coin of sweet lobster to the oyster to do the trick! The “shot” part of the dish is a smoky, vodka-spiked cocktail sauce, which is almost like a concentrated Bloody Mary. I thought these would be a perfect addition to the menu at Bar Americain too. I was right.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 8

　　1 (8-ounce) lobster tail, steamed

　　8 oysters, shucked

　　Cocktail Sauce (recipe follows)

　　Green Tabasco sauce

　　Grated lime zest

　　

Cocktail Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

　　3 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained

　　3 tablespoons vodka

　　1 tablespoon pureed canned chipotle chile in adobo

　　2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

　　Juice of 1/2 small lemon

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　(makes about 1 cup)

　　

Step 1

Put the lobster tail on a cutting board and cut it crosswise into 8 equal slices.

　　

Step 2

Slip 1 oyster into a double shot glass, top with a slice of lobster, a heaping tablespoon of the cocktail sauce, a splash of green Tabasco sauce, and some lime zest. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

　　

Cocktail Sauce

Step 3

Whisk together the ketchup, horseradish, vodka, chipotle, Worcestershire, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours before serving.

　　Reprinted with permission from Bobby Flay's Bar Americain Cookbook by Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson, (C) 2011 Clarkson PotterBOBBY FLAY, a New York Times bestselling author, is the chef-owner of six fine dining restaurants, including Mesa Grill, Bar Americain, and Bobby Flay Steak, and an expanding roster of Bobby's Burger Palaces. He is the host of numerous popular cooking shows on Food Network, from the Emmy-winning Boy Meets Grill and Grill It! with Bobby Flay, to the Iron Chef America series, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, and Food Network Star. Brunch @ Bobby's debuted on the Cooking Channel in fall 2010 and America's Next Great Restaurant debuted in March 2011 on NBC. This is his eleventh book. His website is BobbyFlay.com.