Bacon Wrapped Oysters and Asparagus

Sara and I were at Costco the other day and we spied a jar of oysters that usually I would turn my nose up at. Before I met Sara, if you had asked me what my favorite seafood was, I would have said sweedish fish, with van de kamps fish sticks coming in at second. I just hated the thought of eating fish, mainly because I had never had fish prepared correctly. Some people just don't know how to cook it. 

Between Sara being a huge seafood fan and my getting a job at Ivar's I eventually learned how to not only love seafood, but cook it as well. But oysters are a different animal. I have always had a fearful aversion to them. Even when they're cooked right and taste their best, it's hard for me to get the idea out of my head that I'm eating a snot alien. 

But they do taste great, and I like to think that I'm not a pansy when it comes to food. So this jar of oysters at Costco piqued an interest/curiosity and I was compelled to get them. I didn't even know how I was going to prepare them at the time, but I was going to all the same. Luckily for me, right on the jar they have two kick ass looking recipes and I decided to go for the one with the bacon. 

First, heat up a pan on medium-high heat with a little EVOO in it. Take some oysters and pat them dry. I've got 5 of them here. 

Cut 5 strips of bacon in half, wrap 1 half strip around each oyster.

Place the oysters on the pan laying them on the side where the bacon ends overlap. Cook until the bacon gets browned and crispy on the bottom.

Get a pair of tongs and flip the oysters to the other side, allow them to cook until the bacon is all done. 

Transfer them to a plate to cool off while you cook your asparagus.

Break off the woody ends of some asparagus and throw them on the same pan. Let them cook in the bacon/oyster juice until they reach your preferred done-ness.

Put it all on a plate and garnish with some tartar sauce. 

This entire meal turned out to be:
355 kcal
27.1g fat
9.1g carbs
19.3g protein

Not too bad for 10-12 minutes from start to finish. Plus it was really, really good finger food. The bacon complimented the flavor and the texture of the oyster, so I highly recommend this dish.