simply satisfying – oysters on the half shell

Many prefer them ‘as is’ but I like mine with lemon, horseradish, cocktail sauce & tabasco.

Fresh oysters on the half-shell – love them or leave them?  On a hot summer afternoon with a nice glass of vino blanco or bubbly they make for a decadent happy hour. What about all the other months? Turns out they might be better.

Exactly when and where the ‘R’ rule first appeared is a bit of a debate; but historically, for health and conservation practices, it was best to refrain from eating oysters during warm water months. During the warmer months, as ocean temperatures rise, oysters naturally tend to spawn or reproduce.  For conservation practices, wild oysters were not harvested during the spawning seasons.  In earlier times (c. 1700-1800’s, pre-refrigeration) it was dangerous to ship and, ultimately consume, oysters that sat out in the heat.

An oyster for all seasons: now, because of sustainable farming practices, strict water quality monitoring and advanced wet storage techniques it is healthy, and safe, to consume farmed oysters all year long. Yet oysters remain a sensitive species whose quality and nature fluctuate with the seasons.

To those people who love oysters, there is little that can compare with a cold, plum, raw oyster that is sipped from its shell. Serve with a *homemade cocktail sauce (see recipe) and it is perfect!

When purchasing remember to keep the unopened oysters cold but do not store in water! Oysters are alive and need to breathe, so never seal them tightly in a plastic bag.

Open (shuck) shortly before serving – not more than 2 hours. The colder the oyster, the easier it is to shuck. Keep oysters cold at all times, partly for safety and very much to enhance flavor and texture.  

How to Shuck an Oyster+ recipe

• Make sure to take extra care with your knife when shucking, with the bade facing away from you. Also make sure your oysters are scrubbed clean (most of the oyster farms do this for you).

• Using a clean towel or glove, hold the oyster down with one hand with the opening facing away from you. Stick your oyster knife through the back of the oyster (the hinge) with the blade angled down. Twist the knife upward to pop the hinge.

• Slide the knife along the length of the shell at the opening and twist the knife again at the opposite side to remove the top shell.

• Starting on the left, sweep the knife underneath the oyster to loosen the meat from the shell. Check for any pieces of broken shell and remove, being careful not to lose too much of the liquid. Serve on ice with horseradish or cocktail sauce.

Tips for shucking taken from Goop.com

TO PURCHASE OYSTERS – WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

• When choosing oysters at the market, make sure that they are fresh. If one is open (which it shouldn’t be) it should snap shut emphatically once tapped. If an oyster doesn’t close immediately, don’t buy or use it.
• Oysters should fee heavy and full in your hand. Oysters lose moisture once they are removed from the sea. The heaviness suggests that they are freshly harvested. Oyster tip: Tap two oysters together or one to the other. If there is a hollow sound, the oyster is dead.  If the sound is solid, the oyster is alive.
• Fresh oysters should smell sweet and briny like the sea.

HOW TO EAT OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL:  

You can either use a little fork to pick the oyster out, or you can do like most people do and slurp them out of their shell into your mouth. Cradle the shell in a hand, grasping it with your thumb and first two fingers. Some people look for what they call the “sipping lip” part of the shell before planting their lips on it. When ready, slurp up the oyster, savoring the taste in your mouth. Drink up the salt-watery juice in the shell, too. It’s part of the treat! Eat the entire oyster in a single slurp. Remember, you don’t want to see what is inside an oyster. You just want to taste it!

SIMPLE HOMEMADE COCKTAIL SAUCE

1/2 cup ketchup (or chilli sauce)

2 Tbsp. hot cream-style horseradish

1/4 tsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

2 tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

4 drops tabasco or your favorite hot sauce

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together to taste, cover and chill until ready to serve and to develop flavor.  Makes 2/3 cup.

OYSTERS 101:

Contrary to popular opinion, not all oysters taste alike. Some are brinier, some are creamier, some are leaner, some are fatter, and some even have a “fruity” taste, vaguely suggestive of cucumber and melons. Some of the differences in taste have to do with the species, but mostly it has to do with the temperature of the waters in which they are harvested; as well as the oyster’s fabled muscle, which constantly opens and closes to allow a flow of water and nutrients.

While oysters are famously immobile — once an oyster finds its rock, there it remains — they do have a powerful muscle that opens and shuts its gnarly shell. Contrary to popular opinion, not all oysters are created equal. First of all, there are several species. Perhaps the best known oysters are those originating from the waters off the East Coast — from Nova Scotia all the way down to the gulfstream waters from Florida to Texas — that are often called Bluepoints (although Bluepoints technically come only from New York’s Long Island).

Not sure what type of oyster is best for you?   Check the link below to find your ‘PERFECT MATCH.”

http://www.oysterguide.com/book/what-kind-of-oyster-eater-are-you/

Fun Fact: You’ve heard the phrase “the world is your oyster.”  Where does it come from?

Origin: It comes from Shakespeare – The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600). The world is the place from which one can extract success and profit, as a pearl can be extracted from an oyster.