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/ck/ - Food & Cooking

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4996940 No.4996940[DELETED]  [Reply] [Original]

Are all oysters created equally? I assume freshness is important but do they age as quickly as seafood that isn't trapped in a shell? What's the best way to prepare them? I've never had them before and wanna go get some but I might just make them at home. I'm getting over this shellfish allergy I acquired ten years ago and there's a few things on my list to try.
Do they just slide out of the shell or do they have to be scooped out? Are they chewy or soft? What can they be compared to?

Seafood thread?

>> No.4996970

You should definitely go have some in a restaurant before you attempt to prepare them at home. There's tricks to opening them, and there's lots of different varieties of oysters. That said, they are probably one of my top two favorite foods. Yum.

>> No.4996984
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4996984

>Are all oysters created equally?
Absolutely not. From my experience the tastiest, and most expensive come from the north, and the cheapest come from the south.

> I assume freshness is important but do they age as quickly as seafood that isn't trapped in a shell?
I think you could get by with oysters on ice for 1 week before it gets questionable.

>What's the best way to prepare them?
Raw if theyre fresh enough with mignonette, lemon wedges, and a hot cocktail sauce

>Do they just slide out of the shell or do they have to be scooped out?
You need a special tool to open them. I think it's called an oyster knife. You start at the hinge point to crack open the shell. Once that opens the other side of the shell is being held together by a muscle, so you half to cut through it. Remove the top shell, then cut under that muscle on the underside of it.

On pic related you can see where the muscle had to be cut through to release the top shell

>Are they chewy or soft? What can they be compared to?
The texture seems kind of slimy at first, but once you bite down the oyster gets really meaty. They're very similar to clams or muscles, and if you slather on a lot of cocktail sauce they taste pretty similar to cocktail shrimp.u

>> No.4996986

Freshness is extremely important. If you're not eating them same day or next you're doing it wrong. If they're not served ice cold, walk away.

They don't exactly slide out of the shell. They're connected by a small foot which must be cut. Have you ever opened an oyster? It will take some practice.

>> No.4996991

I've always had them baked.

But it's interesting because my family has always gotten our oysters fresh from the shores or beach or whatever. It literally was like 15 minutes away. I didn't have them raw until a few months ago. Holy shit, raw is so much better. As for getting them out, if you're doing it at home, get an oyster shucker.

>> No.4996992

>>4996984
>the tastiest, and most expensive come from the north, and the cheapest come from the south

wrong, Gulf Coast oysters win

>> No.4996997

>>4996992
Enjoy your oil spill.

>> No.4997003
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4997003

>>4996984
>Absolutely not. From my experience the tastiest, and most expensive come from the north, and the cheapest come from the south.
This guy has it absolutely right. Incidentally, and this isn't quite timely since thanksgiving just passed, oyster stuffing is absolutely delicious.

>> No.4997008

>>4996992
This southern delusion is hilarious. The Gulf is ded, and even if it wasn't, the southern US is too crowded to maintain a pristine ecosystem to grow them in. I was talking southern as in Virginia, which is decent but inferior to Maine.

>> No.4997012

>>4997003
Damn I wish m family would let me make that

>> No.4997066

>>4996997
>>4997008

The potential long term effects of the oil spill are still being researched. Meanwhile, commerce has returned to normal levels and I eat fresh harvested and purchased Louisiana seafood on a weekly basis.

Most of the doom and gloom stories I've read are just that, sensationalist pieces.

>> No.4997072

>>4997066

are the oysters supposed to have dirt in them?

i picked it out second try

they're still kinda gross

how many are you supposed to eat?

>> No.4997080

>>4997072
Oysters are filterers. Yeah, you should clean them good.

>> No.4997101

>>4997072
You shouldn't have to clean them. If there's sediment they were purged inadequately. I usually eat 12 raw as an appetizer.

>> No.4997134

Wow I thought I had auto-refresh on and /ck/ was being shitty. Thanks for the replies guys. I live in Atlanta so I guess I'll have to try to find somewhere that gets theirs pretty fresh. There's an oyster bar down the street from me that I think I'll go to. They have industry night on Tuesdays too so 50% off! If I like them there I'll look into preparing them at home. Definitely going to go with the lemon and cocktail sauce method. Never met a seafood that isn't good with lemon juice on it.

>> No.4997142

>>4997134
Just go to the oyster bar and tell them you've never had them before. They'll show you the ropes.

>> No.4997150

>>4996940
All oysters are created equal, but some are more equal than others.

>> No.4997166

I live in PEI (Atlantic Canada) best oysters around in my opinion, guy up the road sells me a bag of Northumberland Strait fresh oysters for $15 a peck (standard) or $30(choice), delicious!! I just want to also mention the $9lb sea scallops I bought a few days ago or the 60lb of Atlantic spring lobster (full and not molting) for $180CAD =)

>> No.4997172

There's nothing like eating a raw oyster with a little lemon juice and horseradish/hot sauce. It's fucking delicious when it's fresh.

>> No.4997176
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4997176

>tfw Columbus, Ohio
>tfw I love seafood
>tfw never the twain shall meet

>> No.4997191

>>4997166
I lived on PEI my entire life until I moved a few months ago, and if there is one thing I'll miss it is super fresh oysters.

>> No.4997194

>>4997166
I need to move there. Are there any rugby teams nearby?

>> No.4997198

>>4997176
I used to live in columbus. You can get a lot of good seafood at the North Market but it's a tad more expensive

>> No.4997203

>>4997176
Try the north market on park street, it's a bit pricey but I enjoy going there to look around

>> No.4997204

I haven't had oysters enough to tell the freshness but I would imagine they are similar to clams when deciding on judging they're quality. A bad clam is usually very salty and tasteless with a slimy/watery texture while a good one had a sweeter flavor and a smoother thicker texture.

>> No.4997205

>>4997172
I live 10 mins away from the coast, I love to go there every once in a while to get some fresh seafood, and yeah, eating oysters with some lemon juice, salt, sauce, a beer while watching the sea and feeling the breeze is amazing.

OP I suggest either eating them raw like >>4996984 said, maybe in a cocktail with some shrimp, octopus or squid and crab.

>> No.4997212

>>4997198

i've never been to the north market, guess i should go

>> No.4997222
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4997222

>>4997212
Yea. Also, probably the best Chinese food there too.

>> No.4997235

I really want to like oysters. And I've ordered them from some great local places here in Seattle and south of Bellingham at the Oyster Bar. They're so cool. The way you can slurp them from the shell, after snatching it from a bed of crushed ice. Oysters fried with a light breading at a fancy restaurant with a breathtaking view of the sea and the sunset beyond.

But they're slimy--christ, that fucking texture--and I think they just taste weird. God damn my pleb taste buds. Why do I have to be such a faggot?

>> No.4997257

>>4997235
I kinda forced myself to like them around 17, kind of like with eating pussy. After awhile you realize theyre really healthy and you can taste the complex flavors beyond the salty brine.

>> No.4997262

>>4997204
>Salty tasteless slimy watery.

Your mum's pussy.

>> No.4997293

>>4997235
They're really not for everyone I guess, but if you like them you REALLY like them.

>> No.4997300

>>4997235
I really don't like raw oysters at all. The best I've ever had is grilled. A friend of mine's husband grills them until they open, then you eat them fresh off the grill with some lime, salt, and hot sauce. It's amazing.

>> No.4997304

Other than frozen oyster meat from China (that I just make into oyster cakes, anyway), I've only had oysters from the Tyrrhenian and wherever oysters sold on the east coast in the US come from. Tyrrhenian oysters are superior by far, so I assume that no: not all oysters are created equal.

>> No.4997324

>>4997300
btw im a grill

>> No.4997347
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4997347

>>4997300

Ever had steamed oysters? Down here in South Carolina it's often an event to have an oyster roast as well.

Fresh oysters are the absolute best. It's a shame to have them flown in on ice from hundreds or thousands of miles away, they have a completely different flavor (not to mention I could pick up a bushel for the price of a half dozen on the half shell at a restaurant).

>> No.4997351

>>4997324
How many btus do you have?

>> No.4997581

>>4996992
>warm water oysters