Oyster Bacon Ramen
Oysters and bacon are one of those combinations that shouldn't work on paper but make perfect sense the second you taste them together. The oysters are briny and sweet with that slippery ocean texture, the bacon is smoky and crispy and makes everything better, and when you put them in a ramen bowl together, it's like the sea and the smokehouse had a meeting and decided to be friends. The broth picks up the smokiness from the bacon fat and the brininess from the oysters, the noodles soak it all up, and the whole thing tastes like you're eating at a coastal seafood shack where the chef doesn't care about rules. It's rich, it's indulgent, and it's the kind of bowl that makes you feel like you're treating yourself even if you're just standing in your kitchen. Make this when you want something that feels fancy without the fancy price tag, or when you just need to remind yourself that oysters aren't only for raw bars and pretentious brunch menus.
Salt meets the smoke—oysters bloom in liquid fire—ocean kisses land.
Let Me Tell You...
I ate oysters for the first time at a wedding, which was a terrible idea because I had no idea what I was doing and the open bar had already gotten the better of me.
Someone handed me a raw oyster on the half shell with a little cocktail sauce, and I slurped it down without thinking.
It was cold and slimy and tasted like the ocean had punched me in the mouth, and I immediately regretted every decision I'd made that night.
I avoided oysters for years after that, convinced they were one of those foods that people only pretended to like to seem sophisticated.
They go from plump to rubbery in seconds.
Then I had fried oysters at a dive bar in New Orleans, and it was like meeting a completely different ingredient.
They were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and had that same briny sweetness but without the slime factor.
I ordered another plate and started to reconsider my entire relationship with oysters.
A few years later, I was at a brunch place that served oysters with bacon, and the combination was so good I almost cried into my mimosa.
The smokiness from the bacon cut through the brininess of the oysters, and together they tasted like some kind of coastal barbecue I didn't know I needed.
Double the flavor, zero waste.
I decided to try making it at home, but instead of just frying oysters and bacon separately like a normal person, I threw them into a ramen bowl because I can't leave well enough alone.
I cooked the bacon until it was crispy, then used the rendered fat to quickly sauté the oysters with garlic and a little white wine.
The oysters plumped up and released their juices into the pan, creating this smoky, briny base that I stretched into a broth with vegetable stock.
I cooked the ramen noodles, ladled the broth over them, and topped the whole thing with the oysters and crumbled bacon.
They should be plump and tender, not tough.
The first bite was intense.
The oysters were sweet and briny, the bacon added that smoky, salty crunch, and the broth had this deep, oceanic flavor that made me feel like I was eating on a dock somewhere with seagulls circling overhead.
The noodles soaked up all that smoky brine, and every bite had this perfect balance of sea and land, rich and fresh, indulgent and somehow clean at the same time.
It's not the kind of bowl you make every day, but when you do, it feels like a special occasion even if you're just eating it alone in your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 packages ramen noodles (discard seasoning packets)
- 12 fresh oysters, shucked (reserve the liquor)
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 3 cups vegetable broth (preferably low-sodium)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Preparation
- In a large skillet, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan and discard the rest.
- In the same skillet with the reserved bacon fat, add the minced garlic and the white parts of the green onions. Sauté over medium heat for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the white wine and reserved oyster liquor to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, soy sauce, and butter. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes to let the flavors meld. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper as needed.
- Add the shucked oysters to the simmering broth and cook for 2-3 minutes, just until the edges start to curl and the oysters are plump and tender. Do not overcook. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- While the broth simmers, cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions until just tender. Drain and set aside.
- Divide the cooked ramen noodles between two serving bowls. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles, making sure each bowl gets 6 oysters.
- Top each bowl with crispy bacon pieces and the green parts of the green onions.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the bowl.