After traveling abroad nearly 150 years ago, the famously opinionated Mark Twain made a list of his favorite American foods he craved while he was away. The standards one would expect from back in the day made the cut -- fried chicken, cranberry sauce, apple pie -- but also on the list? Fried oysters. 

While following Twain's path down the Mississippi River for an episode of Bizarre Foods in search of a taste of Americana, Andrew Zimmern met Regina Charboneau, one of the "grand dames" of southern cooking. She shared a recipe for a family favorite, peppered oysters, and subsequently inspired Andrew to concoct his own version, served over toast, upon returning from his own Twain-esque journey. See the video and instructions below to indulge. 

INGREDIENTS

18 oysters, shucked and liquor reserved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 stick butter
4 tablespoons shallots, minced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
Juice and zest of one lemon
1 pinch red chile flakes
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Salt
2 tablespoons basil, julienned
6 slices of rustic white bread, toasted and cut into bite-sized pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

First, shuck the oysters. Reserve the oysters and their liquor to a large bowl.

In a large cast iron skillet over high heat place the olive oil and 1/3 of the butter.

When melted and hot, add the shallots and garlic and cook until glassy and aromatic. Add the lemon zest, chile flakes and ground black pepper. Next, stir in the Worcestershire sauce and reserved oyster juices. Cook for about 3 minutes over medium heat to reduce the sauce. Add the oysters and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until the oysters are just cook through. Season with a pinch of salt.

Add the lemon juice, basil and remaining butter. Swirl, pulling pan off the heat, incorporating the butter to thicken the sauce. Spoon the oysters and the sauce over the toasts and serve.

Recipe compliments of Andrew Zimmern. Visit AndrewZimmern.com for more recipes like this.