Ready in 20 minutes, this amazing oysters kilpatrick recipe is perfect for entertaining at home. Topped with crispy bacon and our amped up kilpatrick sauce, it’s the best way to kickstart your Christmas celebrations!
In This Post You’ll Learn
Why We Love This
Oysters kilpatrick is the perfect entree or platter for celebrations. They taste amazing and look so impressive served in their shells in the centre of the table.
Like so many of our reader favourites, this amazing oysters kilpatrick recipe is quick and easy to prepare, and much cheaper to make at home rather than buying from a restaurant.
P.S. If you’re not usually a fan of fresh oysters, we can just about guarantee you will LOVE oysters kilpatrick topped with crispy bacon and Worcestershire sauce! They’re that good!
Related: Baked Camembert / Spinach Cob Loaf
What are Oysters Kilpatrick?
Oysters kilpatrick is a classic Australian dish consisting of oysters cooked in their shells, topped with crispy bacon and Worcestershire sauce. It’s usually served as an entree or appetiser, but can also be enjoyed as a main on its own.
You’ll usually find oysters kilpatrick on the menu at most pubs and modern Australian restaurants, but it’s also a popular entertaining recipe to cook at home on Christmas Day, Good Friday or other celebrations.
What You’ll Need
- Freshly Shucked Oysters – For the best flavour always use fresh oysters rather than frozen, preferably locally sourced if possible.
- usually paired with slices of octopus in Japanese takoyaki and goes amazingly well with oysters too.
- Bacon / Ham – Thinly sliced or diced into small squares. Or to make it fancy you could go for finely sliced prosciutto instead.
- Worcestershire Sauce – This adds a tangy sweet flavour, and can often be a little but spicy depending on the brand you use. Homemade worcestershire sauce is even better since you can make it just the way you like it.
- Tomato Sauce and Barbecue Sauce – Use any brand you like. Or sub both of them for Japanese takoyaki sauce. It’s
How to Make Oysters Kilpatrick
First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.
- Preheat your oven to 200˚C / 400°F. Pop the bacon or shredded ham in a small frying pan over medium heat and sauté until cooked through and crispy. Note: It should release its own oil while cooking, but you can add a dash of oil if needed to give it more colour.
- Mix the tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl.
- Arrange the oysters in their half shells onto an oyster wheel tray (or a baking tray lined with a generous layer of rock salt) to hold them up. Top with cooked bacon and drizzle with sauce.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes until the sauce starts to caramelise and the oysters are cooked to your liking. Serve with fresh lemon wedges.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Use an Oyster Wheel / Tray – Using one isn’t essential, but it does make it much easier to prepare and cook oysters kilpatrick. If you don’t have one, you can use scrunched up aluminium foil to prop them up.
- Or Make a Rock Salt Bed – Cook the oysters on a baking tray lined with rock salt. This helps keep the oysters upright in the oven and helps them cook through evenly. Or you can use the rock salt as a decorative nest on your serving platter to prop up your cooked oysters instead.
- Oyster Forks – Mini oyster forks aren’t essential but do make them much easier to eat!
- Watch Carefully – Oysters cook fast, so keep an eye on them to avoid burning.
- Avoid Glass Trays – There’s a risk it could break when grilling or broiling in the oven, especially when liquids are involved.
- Serve in Bowls – If the shells are too damaged or you can only buy oysters without their shells, you can place them in ramekins or oven safe dishes, top with sauce and cook as normal.
FAQs
Look for tightly sealed oysters. If the lids are slightly cracked, it means the oysters aren’t fresh. Some stores will sell oysters already shucked, in which case they’ll be good to go. We’ll try to buy them on the day we plan to serve them if we can, otherwise a day or two before is fine.
If your oysters are still sealed, it’s a good idea to clean the shells first to remove any dirt before shucking. Scrub them under running water, especially around the hinge as this is where dirt and grit can accumulate. If you’ve bought shucked oysters you can skip this.
The easiest way is to use a shucking knife and a towel to protect your hand. Hold the oyster firmly in your hand, and press the knife into the oyster hinge. Wiggle it in until it’s under the top shell, then twist the knife to crack it open. Pull out the knife and wipe off any grit, then slide it back in and work your way around the lid towards the opposite end. Slice the knife between the top shell and the oyster muscle to fully remove the lid. Then slice underneath the oyster muscle to remove it from the bottom shell. Watch this oyster shucking tutorial to see it in action.
Yep. You can cook the oysters directly on the grill plate, but it’s helpful to use some scrunched up aluminium foil to prop them up and avoid spilling the sauce out of the shells. Or you could also wrap each oyster in foil to trap the steam and make them extra juicy.
You sure can. Space out the oysters on the air fryer’s wire rack and cook for about 8 minutes at 180˚C / 360˚F.
This dish is a great starter or entree, but you can also enjoy it as a main meal on its own. Allow 3 oysters per person for entree or around 6-12 oysters per person for mains, depending on how big the oysters are and how hungry your guests are!
We usually make oysters kilpatrick for special occasions like Christmas, and serve it as the entree before a full roast lunch with cauliflower cheese or potato bake!
Variations
- Add Herbs – Garnish with lemon thyme, parsley, chives or spring onion after cooking.
- Top with Cheese – Parmesan, mozzarella / bocconcini and havarti are all great choices.
- Oysters Natural – Skip the toppings and serve fresh oysters (uncooked) with lemon wedges on the side.
- Oysters Rockefeller – Top with a dab of butter, chopped parsley and breadcrumbs.
- Add Onion – Cook finely chopped onion in with the bacon for extra texture and flavour.
- Extra Fancy – Add a splash of vodka or vermouth to the sauce.
- Make them Spicy – Sprinkle with shichimi togarashi or add a few drops of tabasco sauce.
- Japanese Style – Bake the oysters in okonomiyaki sauce, then top with kewpie mayo and furikake seasoning.
- Add Liquid Smoke – For extra smoky flavour. A little goes a long way – just a few drops will add a delicious, subtle smokiness to the traditional kilpatrick sauce.
Try these amazing celebration recipes next:
- Australian Cheesy Potato Bake – Serve up a big batch at your next gathering for guaranteed smiles.
- Best Pavlova Recipe – “Awesome recipe. No fail. I made mine into a wreath shape and it was a hit”
- Super Creamy Cauliflower Cheese – The perfect side dish for your next BBQ or family dinner.
- 20 Minute Cheese and Bacon Cob Loaf Dip – Perfect to get the party started, but don’t expect leftovers!
- Easy Spinach & Feta Cheese Triangles – So easy to make, bake and share! Make a big batch and keep some in the freezer
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Ingredients
- 18 oysters fresh and shucked
Oysters Kilpatrick
- 1 bacon chopped, or 50g shredded ham
- 1 tbsp tomato sauce / ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp barbecue sauce
Instructions
For the Kilpatrick
- Preheat your oven to 200˚C / 400°F.
- Pop the bacon or shredded ham in a small frying pan over medium heat and sauté until cooked through and crispy. Note: It should release its own oil while cooking, but you can add a dash of oil if needed to give it more colour.1 bacon
- Mix the tomato sauce, barbecue sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl.1 tbsp tomato sauce / ketchup, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp barbecue sauce
- Arrange the oysters in their half shells onto an oyster wheel tray (or a baking tray lined with a generous layer of rock salt) to hold them up. Top with cooked bacon and drizzle with sauce.18 oysters
- Bake for 5-10 minutes until the sauce starts to caramelise and the oysters are cooked to your liking.
Recipe Notes
- Freshly Shucked Oysters – For the best flavour always use fresh oysters rather than frozen, preferably locally sourced if possible.
- Bacon / Ham – Thinly sliced or diced into small squares. Or to make it fancy you could go for finely sliced prosciutto instead.
- Worcestershire Sauce – This adds a tangy sweet flavour, and can often be a little but spicy depending on the brand you use. Homemade worcestershire sauce is even better since you can make it just the way you like it.
- Tomato Sauce and Barbecue Sauce – Use any brand you like. Or sub both of them for Japanese takoyaki sauce. It’s usually paired with slices of octopus in Japanese takoyaki and goes amazingly well with oysters too.
- Use an Oyster Wheel / Tray – Using one isn’t essential, but it does make it much easier to prepare and cook oysters kilpatrick. If you don’t have one, you can use scrunched up aluminium foil to prop them up.
- Or Make a Rock Salt Bed – Cook the oysters on a baking tray lined with rock salt. This helps keep the oysters upright in the oven and helps them cook through evenly. Or you can use the rock salt as a decorative nest on your serving platter to prop up your cooked oysters instead.
- Oyster Forks – Mini oyster forks aren’t essential but do make them much easier to eat!
- Watch Carefully – Oysters cook fast, so keep an eye on them to avoid burning.
- Avoid Glass Trays – There’s a risk it could break when grilling or broiling in the oven, especially when liquids are involved.
- Serve in Bowls – If the shells are too damaged or you can only buy oysters without their shells, you can place them in ramekins or oven safe dishes, top with sauce and cook as normal.
Nutrition
18 Comments
Pog
23/12/2021 at 8:26 amFew issues. Broiling is not a term used in Australia ( or the UK). Grilling happens from above. To heat from below, we BBQ and it is called just that.
Oysters in Australia re pre shucked. You never buy them closed.
Wandercooks
02/01/2022 at 5:41 pmHeya, thanks for your feedback. No issues here though! Broiling is a term used for Aussie style grilling in the US, and we have readers from all over the world, so we like to make sure everyone understands and can make this perfect every time. Unfortunately, I have to disagree with you on the oysters. They are not always shucked in Australia, and Laura’s Dad was happily shucking his oysters on Christmas morning when we popped over. It’s completely up to you how you buy them. 🙂
Jody Andrews
02/04/2021 at 5:46 pmJust done Oysters Kilpatrick in air fryer at 180°c for 8 min. Perfect.
Wandercooks
02/04/2021 at 6:35 pmAwesome Jody – thanks for the update! We’ll have to pop the air fryer method into our tips! 🙂
Rachel
05/01/2017 at 2:13 amWow, gorgeous photos! I’ve never made oysters, but this makes me want to try. The soy and ginger especially sounds good.
Wandercooks
05/01/2017 at 11:52 amAww thanks Rachel, so nice to hear from you. Enjoy the soy and ginger, it’s super light and refreshing and adds a great flavour kick to the humble oyster!
Jolina
27/12/2016 at 2:01 pmI personally don’t like oysters but my spouse is a huge fan. We haven’t tried prepping them at home though, the idea always sounded so hard. But your recipes look easy enough! I know the perfect person to show this to 🙂
Wandercooks
05/01/2017 at 11:45 amIt’s super simple Jolina, especially if you can buy already shucked oysters! Just top with your favourite blends, and either eat straight away or bake if needed. Ta-da!
Tiffany
27/12/2016 at 12:46 pmWhat gorgeous photography! I love Ponzu so I am very excited to try that variation!
Wandercooks
05/01/2017 at 11:44 amYes! A fellow ponzu fan! Glad you love it as much as us. Enjoy your ponzu oysters, let us know how you go. 🙂
J @ Bless Her Heart Y'all
27/12/2016 at 10:51 amI’m not an oyster fan but my husband and father are. Going to have to show this one to the hubster and see what he thinks. He’ll go gaga over these three recipes!
Wandercooks
05/01/2017 at 11:43 amHaha that’s great J – and you should try them too. Maybe you’ll find a new favourite? Definitely start with the Kilpatrick – there are so many delicious flavours going on in there to fall in love with. 🙂
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
27/12/2016 at 7:18 amThis recipe is perfect for my hubby who loves oysters!! I have never made them but you make it soo easy and pretty!
Wandercooks
05/01/2017 at 11:41 amAwesome, glad we could help! Which flavour do you think you’ll try first?
Igor @ Cooking The Globe
24/12/2016 at 6:52 pmI would love to celebrate Christmas with oysters but unfortunately my parents wouldn’t approve that :)) We have other traditions 🙂 Love all your ways of preparing oysters, especially the one with soy and ginger. Bookmarking for the future!
Wandercooks
05/01/2017 at 11:54 amThanks Igor, hope you get to enjoy them when you can. We’d love to hear more about your family traditions too! What do you and your family share for a Christmas meal?
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
22/12/2016 at 10:18 pmHi, there! First of all Merry Christmas! Hubby and I are oyster lovers. We do eat them raw quite a bit and for a special occasion, we make Oysters Rockefeller with our own twist. I really like your twist on the flavors. We have liquid smoke in our kitchen cabinet and some of the other ingredients we’ll have to search. Can’t wait to make a platter of all three. Thank you!! so glad you have your own herbs. I miss them in the winter time. It’s great just walking outside the kitchen door and grabbing what you need. Your photos are great 🙂
Wandercooks
05/01/2017 at 11:56 amMerry Christmas Marisa! Hope you’ve had a wonderful break over the holidays. We’ve never (yet!) experimented with Oysters Rockefeller so definitely adding that to the must-try list. So glad to find another fan of liquid smoke – it’s such a quirky, almost-secret ingredient and we love sharing it with friends. Enjoy your platter and hope to hear from you soon! 🙂