One of the best things about having a new baby is that people want to come see it. Friends and family flock to one’s doors like never before. They do things like bring food and watch said baby while you take a nap. It’s nice. And so, to say thank you, we felt compelled to do something nice in return.

We wanted to get a bushel of crabs, but alas, crab season is just past, and so we looked to the Bay’s other bounty and got three dozen oysters.

A few years back, when we were attending Robbi’s brother’s wedding near the Russian River north of San Francisco, we drove south down Route 1 and stopped at a little roadside place on Tomales Bay (the long finger of water that hugs the coast for 15 miles between the mainland and Point Reyes).

Tomales Bay is known for its oyster farms. It also offers nice views.

Which is to say, it’s a nice place to sit for an hour and eat grilled oysters. And so we did. And so, when we were thinking of grilling some oysters to thank our friends and families for all of their generosity, we tried to find the recipe of the oysters we ate that day on Tomales Bay. And after a bit of sleuthing, Robbi did. Here it is.

The basic idea is to get some oysters and a grill.

The tricky part about oysters is that they are closed when you get them and are, generally speaking, unwilling to open without a fight. We addressed this issue by putting the oysters on the grill for a few minutes as a means of persuasion. Some of them then emit a loud popping sound, which signals willingness to cooperate. At this point, Robbi grabs the cooperative oyster with an oven mitt and uses a sturdy knife to pry the two halves apart. Robbi does this part because, as a general rule, I am not allowed to handle knives.

My job is to take the open oyster and spoon generous quantities of butter, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, chili pepper flakes, salt, and pepper onto the oyster sitting it its half shell.

Once all of the oysters are opened and thus enhanced by flavor, we return them to the grill for a few minutes (while Robbi continues to fight one particularly belligerent oyster that refuses to open).

Eventually, she succeeds and expresses her enthusiasm, but all the rest of us can think about is the oysters and how good they smell as they sit there on the grill and how much we are looking forward to celebrating our gratitude by eating them.

When the grilling is complete, we take the oysters upstairs, where Robbi adds parsley.

Before we eat, we take a moment to admire. Oysters are strange little creations that have no business being as delicious as they are.

But they are delicious nonetheless. Within a few minutes, all of the oysters are gone, and I head back downstairs to continue with the grilling. Oysters are just one small component of giving thanks. True appreciation can only be registered with grilled peppers, portobellos, and rib eye.

The secret is the abundance of open flame, and the hat worn by the person with the tongs. I may not be allowed to handle knives, but tongs are ok, as long as they are used in the service of grilled gratitude.