A couple of months ago I was just about to start a new job so I decided to take a week in between for a staycation. On the first Monday, I decided to take a trip up to Point Reyes for a beautiful drive and a picnic at Tomales Bay Oyster Company.

Going on a Monday was the BEST idea. It is usually a very popular and crowded place on the weekends but this particular Monday, it was all mine!

We stopped previously at a market and picked up some wine, cheese, salami and bread to snack on. When we got to the Oyster co. we picked up a bag of clams and a bag of small oysters. Now, I typically am not an oyster person, but we decided to grill them so I was good with it.

In preparation for this, I brought with me a compound butter I made that had kosher salt, parsley, thyme and probably a handful of other fresh herbs. That’s the great thing with these butters- you can add whatever you like. We also brought along camping pots for steaming and camping utensils.

We set up shop at a picnic table and bbq right along the water and got the coals going. For the clams, we steamed them in white wine, water and a spicy chorizo. We then grilled the gorgeous oysters and when they popped open, I took off the top and added a dollup of the compound butter to melt. Everything turned out delicious!

I highly recommend taking the drive up for the day. The food is great, beautiful view and it’s just a lot of fun if you’re into seafood.

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