Oysters: The Topic

[shadow]

My fishmonger has some good oysters today. Can anyone mention their favorite wonderful recipe?

[gus_tatory]

my favourite? raw, shucked with lemon, horseradish, vodka, tobasco.

but if you're cooking them, any recipe where they don't get too over-processed, i mean, too far from their natural state, is good.

--very simple oyster stew of cream, butter, oysters. (there's an M F K Fisher article about this somewhere...)

--"rockefeller" style presentation where they are dressed with chopped drained spinach, shallots, hollandaise, and broiled.

lucky you! enjoy!

[tommy]

please don't cook them.

[sequim]

MMMMM, oysters! Barbecued to desired degree from barely warm to cooked (depending on the guests), then served with a variety of sauces. We usually have these when we go camping - stop at the local oyster farm and grab a few dozen. I love different mignonette (rice wine vinegar, sugar, finely chopped shallots, lemon zest, etc.), also have out tabasco, wedges of lemon, horseradishy cocktail sauce, melted butter. Mix and match.

Did I say that I love oysters?

[Jensen]

My favourite way to eat them is to put them on the grill. When they open just a tad, take them off and pry the "lid" up. Add a dab of butter and some Worcestershire sauce, wait for the butter to melt, then eat.

[gus_tatory]

please don't cook them.

have to say that i'm with tommy on this one.

even though it's winter, even though there are some nice cooked oyster preparations, *optimally*, do not cook them. for me, it removes some of that wild, briny "oyster-ness", which is why we love them in the first place.

("oyster-ness" is soo not a word. )

[Mayhaw Man]

Make this. You will not be sorry.

[shadow]

Thanks for the resipes and suggestions. Unfortuantely I can't do raw oysters , as my husband had a nasty experience with some that a friend brought him and turns the prettiest shade of green when I mention the thought. But I will try the other things--maybe all of them----it's that kind of day

[mikeycook]

I love raw oysters, but my favorite cooked oysters recipe is Jasper White's Oysters w/Pancetta and Leeks (from Cooking from New England).

Basically, you dice and cook pancetta until almost crisp. Add a little butter to the pork fat and sweat the leeks in it under tender. Next, make a mixture of equal amounts romano cheese and bread crumbs. Open your oysters and put some of each mixture on top (pancetta/leek first), then brown them under the broiler and serve with lemon wedges.

I have served this several times and it has always been a hit (to me, pork and shellfish is an unbeatable combination... unless you're kosher.)

[ludja]

please don't cook them.

I agree; my favorite way to eat oysters is bare or with a drop of lemon juice.

BUT, there is such an abundance of reasonably priced oysters in Louisiana that when I'm there I eat both raw and prepared. Also, where there are other types of oysters that I would never dream of cooking (miyagis, kummamotos, cape may), LA oysters are a lot bigger, less delicate in taste (in some ways) and seem to hold up well to cooking also.

I don't have any of my own recipes to make at home b/c they are not as abundant and cheap here!! But I do like oyster stew and fresh, breaded and deep fried oysters.

I had an interesting variant on an Oyster Po Boy sandwich at the Red Fish Grill in New Orleans:

"BBQ Oyster Po-Boy

Freshly shucked P&J oysters fried crisp and tossed in a zesty pepper sauce. Served on a po-boy loaf with lettuce, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing."

The idea of blue cheese was kind of strange to me (on reading the menu description) but all doubt was dispelled with one bite! I would make this at home.

edit for typo

Edited January 31, 2004 by ludja (log)

[ludja]

I love raw oysters, but my favorite cooked oysters recipe is Jasper White's Oysters w/Pancetta and Leeks (from Cooking from New England).

Hmm.. thanks mikeycook for the recipe, it sounds great.

Sounds like an interesting variation on clams casino (which I love).

[ruthcooks]

Fried oysters and scalloped oysters are good, but for a main course at my first restaurant I used to make something I called "Oysters Bayou"--oysters and Creole seasonings in a brown butter roux en casserole, large croute on top.

[FistFullaRoux]

Season cornmeal, then fry shucked oysters. Make a dipping sauce of 1 part mayo to 1 part ketchup, add worchershire and tabasco. Or use a commercially prepared "cocktail sauce". The blue cheese dressing is a good idea for dipping too. Put more pepper in the cornmeal for a kind of Buffalo Oysters sort of thing. Fries on the side.

[cdh]

The familial Thanksgiving oyster preparation is really simple, and really good at emphasizing the oysteriness of good oysters... Scallop 'em.

Casserole dish with a shallow layer of crumbled crackers (saltines if you're feeling plain, ritz if you're feeling fancy) with a few pats of butter, covered by a layer of evenly spaced oysters, salted and peppered and otherwise spiced as you see fit (spritzed with Pernod mist, or otherwise) [... repeat until casserole full] moistened with the oyster juice, though only slightly... too much moisture and it gets gluey... and topped with butter pats, then baked until crispy and golden brown.

Have fun!

[Mayhaw Man]

I had an interesting variant on an Oyster Po Boy sandwich at the Red Fish Grill in New Orleans:

"BBQ Oyster Po-Boy

Freshly shucked P&J oysters fried crisp and tossed in a zesty pepper sauce. Served on a po-boy loaf with lettuce, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing."

The idea of blue cheese was kind of strange to me (on reading the menu description) but all doubt was dispelled with one bite! I would make this at home.

This sandwich is also available as the Red Fish Grill's offering at the "Ain't Nothin like it nowhere-nohow Restaurant". And you are right, it is suprising how well all of that works together to make a great sandwich.

You also might search the menu for oysters as several places have oyster offerings.

[Susan in FL]

Raw is my favorite, too, but if not that...

Shuck them and when on the half shell and separated from the shell: remove oysters and set aside; make a cream sauce with some of the liquor, however you like; lightly steam some savoy cabbage and put some in the shell(s); put the oyster back in on top of the nest of savoy cabbage; put some of the cream sauce on that, and bake. Top with caviar after baking.

I did a terrible job of explaining this.

[Cusina]

Love 'em raw, but if cooked I second the scalloping.

My method is to crush 3 or 4 cups of crackers (I use oyster crackers) to a coarse crumb, mix in a dutch oven with lots of shucked oysters and douse with butter and cream, coarse salt and pepper, a little sherry. Bake in a medium oven for about 30 minutes, till hot through. This is our Christmas Eve feast.

[gperls]

Here's my attempt at a recreation of the "Oysters ala Gaetana" as served at Kemoll's restaurant in St. Louis that I used to have while growning up there. It is a tangy, cheese, creamy concoction that still maintains the oyster essence.

If anyone has the real recipe, bring it on.

Oysters ala Gaetana

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

24 fresh oysters

6 ounces grated Pecorino Romano

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 dash hot red pepper sauce

1/2 cup Bread crumbs

Mix all ingredients, except the oysters and bread crumbs, together in a large bowl. Spread on top of oysters, about 1 tablespoon per oyster. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Broil until crumbs are browned. Serve hot.

[HungryChris]

I must say I love them raw, but I will not turn them down cooked.

Wilt some fresh spinach, wrap the shucked oyster in a wilted spinach leaf, top with a cream/munster cheese/garlic sauce and a dash of paprika and bake until golden.

Edited February 1, 2004 by HungryChris (log)

[Mabelline]

gperls- You can not possibly imagine how good some of these recipes are getting , But I have to tell you that yours sounds GOOOOd! I think I'll try it Monday, as my little fishmonger is MT because of the Superbowl, and he had had no advance warning I would be home to mess with everybody for the Super-Party-Bowl- no matter what people are doing on Super Bowl Sunday, we will be American and eating all the foods we now call AMERICAN.

[torakris]

My friend had a box of oysters delivered to her house this morning (from a thoughtful friend of her husbands) and she does not eat oysters and her husband is out of town for the next 3 days so she gave them to me!

I love raw oysters but have never prepared them in my home.....

I tried opening one (to test it of course ) with a combination of a paring knife and a screw driver, I ended up chipping off pieces of the shell, some large some small and am still finding them embedded in my teeth.

Also there was some black stuff up in the corner of the shell and when I was chipping in got mixed in with the oyster juice leaving it slightly muddy and seaweedy tasting, should these be washed first?

What is the best way to open them without an oyster knife?

and the biggest question will they keep until dinner tomorrow night? my husband won't be here for dinner tonight and I would like to share them with him That is about 32 hours from now...

and what is the best way to store them?

This is what they look like!

[docsconz]

If they are reasonably fresh they should keep well if stored in the refrigerator with moist paper towels on top. Keep them in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Do wash the shells before shucking. I recommend using an oyster knife and making sure you protect your hands during the shucking. I recently purchased a special glove, however,, I will use a dishtowel in which to hold the oyster and protect my hand.

[Susan in FL]

We eat a lot of oysters, but my husband opens them. If you don't get other responses answering your question, I'll check with him about what to use other than an oyster knife, to eat them raw.

It they are very fresh, they will certainly last in your fridge. When we lived up north and bought a bushel at a time during the winter, when oysters "R" in season, we left them in the burlap bag out of doors for up to a week.

I would say do not wash after opening!

[wesza]

Your "Oysters" look fantastic. Put them into your refrigerator as soon as possible in the coldest spot if your able to make room.

If you don't have a Oyster Knife the easiest substitute would be a "Church Key" type of can opener if available or even a flat type screw driver.

There should be Internet sites that will illustrate the correct method of opening or shucking a Oyster in the Shell. With such Oyster as you've pictured it's worth the effort.

Another option would be to Cook the Oysters over Charcoal or even to put them in your oven at high heat until the shells start to pop open, again there is Internet info on these methods.

The other options are after you've opened the Oysters if you've still have to many then put all your extras into a tightly sealed jar with any liquid remaining and make that into a Oyster Stew or put the Oysters into a Milk Wash, Coat with Flour, Them Eggs and finish by coating with Panko and Fry them in a Sauté Pan in Oil to a Golden Brown after which them may be enjoyed as Sandwiches or on a platter with suitable dips or sauces.

Enjoy,

Irwin

[hillvalley]

Throw them in the fridge and put the sake on ice. I'll come shuck for you! They are beautiful.

Yes, scrub your oyster. Get all the sand and grit off of it. Have you ever eaten a dirty oyster at a restaurant? But as Susan said, Do Not Wash An Opened Oyster!

Make sure you have a heavy glove or lots of towels wrapped around your hand that is holding the oyster. Hold the oyster in your non-dominant hand. Towards the narrow end there is a "sweet spot". It's different on every oyster, but if you can find it they open easily. It takes a few dozen, but eventually you start to get a feel for it.

Oyster purists, please skip next part. If you put them in the microwave for about 10-25 seconds they are easier to open. The down side is that they are on the warm side. We combat this by serving them on a bed of ice (which is a good idea anyway). When you are shuking your third dozen, any little bit helps

I expect a full report

Have fun!