BajaNomad

Fresh Oysters in Jesus Maria and tongue tacos in El Rosario

shari - 7-19-2006 at 06:12 PM

Just wanted to remind all you nomads about the fresh oysters served at the new little palapa restaurant across the highway from the Pemex in Jesus Maria...they're might good after that long haul through the desert..and they also have great shrimp tacos and lots of other goodies, seafood and carne asada too....the nice thing is it's all screened in so no flies while you eat. The oysters are from Laguna Manuela nearbye and lovely....10 pesos each and they prepare them for ya....sweeeet.
The other favorite meal of my last trip down the peninsula were the awesome tacos de lengua at the taco joiint on the curve in El Rosario...they were superb.

Al G - 7-19-2006 at 06:25 PM

Oh Shari, you are making my mouth water. Bye gotta find something to eat, but you have pushed the bar so high ugh!

Capt. George - 7-19-2006 at 06:36 PM

10 pesos each, what is happening to Baja? I get, in my local cracker restaurant, in Central Florida, the wed. night special..

....8 to 9 DOZEN Oysters, steamed or raw...... and a pitcher of ice cold cerveza for $18.00

Is that Paulinas your talking about? George

Bajalero - 7-19-2006 at 06:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Capt. George
10 pesos each, what is happening to Baja? I get, in my local cracker restaurant, in Central Florida, the wed. night special..

....8 to 9 DOZEN Oysters, steamed or raw...... and a pitcher of ice cold cerveza for $18.00

Is that Paulinas your talking about? George


I hear you George

Full dozen blue points (flown in) served any way you like them with a full pint of Guiness - at my local pub 10.95 with A/C and live music..... Stupid Gringos

Lero

Al G - 7-19-2006 at 07:07 PM

Thanks for the insight....
El Stupidad Gringo

David K - 7-20-2006 at 10:02 AM

The 'Taco Joint' that Sheri mentioned is #5 on the map (Tacos el Poblado)... It is on the side of the building that was formerly 'Baja Stone Restaurant'.

The Espinoza museum is just behind it, access between #3 and #5.

DanO - 7-20-2006 at 10:24 AM

I've gotten oysters from the San Quintin oyster farmers for as low as $2.50/dozen, or a little bit more than 2 pesos each. Right out of the water. No preparation though -- gotta shuck 'em or roast 'em yourself.

You'd scream

Sharksbaja - 7-20-2006 at 12:43 PM

if you knew what I pay for the best.:lol:

Anyhoo.... todays' Sharks' special: 9 oz of fresh steamed Umpqua oysters. 18-20 petites. Salad, fruit, steamed veggie blend and fresh baked bread $15.95 :o

I'll have to try em there Shari. How big are they??

Oysters.

Cypress - 7-20-2006 at 01:20 PM

Nothing like a fresh salty oyster. Shucking 'em is work. Takes me about three hrs. to open a sack, end up with a little over a gallon in their own juice. Sore shoulders are part of the costs. Worth it!

jerry - 7-20-2006 at 05:16 PM

hea sharks baja i dont know why oregon oysters are so hi compared to washington state oysters?? i can get a bushel of them in portland for $20.00 if at the oregon coast right from the farm$44.00- $50.00 and as long as there very fresh there both very good

Interesting article in the LA Times this week

Hook - 7-21-2006 at 09:29 AM

on oysters and how to recognize ones that have spawned out.

Oysters gone wild? Send 'em back
By Jenn Garbee, Special to The Times
July 19, 2006


WHEN it's a real scorcher outside, slurping icy-cold oysters and sipping a crisp Chablis sounds like the perfect refresher.

But eating oysters in the summer isn't always a winning proposition. At some restaurants, the oysters are always fantastic, so firm and briny you're tempted to order more. But in other places they might seem unpleasantly flaccid and creamy, a result of warm-weather spawning. And unfortunately, at some spots, when you speak up about spawning oysters on your plate, you get little more than a blank stare from your server.

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What gives? If the old adage advising us to avoid oysters in months without an R in their names (May to August) seems to still ring true sometimes, why is it pass? elsewhere? And if oysters are on the menu, can you be sure they won't be spawning?

The old saying was sage advice when oysters were harvested and consumed locally. As water temperatures rise in warmer months, oysters spawn, or release eggs and sperm into the water. It's all about impulse, scientists say, so once one oyster begins the process, all those nearby get into the mood. Afterward, oysters are lean and languid. Spawning is hard work.

Eating a spawning oyster won't make you sick, but it's not a pleasant experience, either. When fertile, their texture is soft and creamy, and not in a good way like cheese or ice cream. Afterward, they're thin and flabby, lacking in meaty substance.

Today, restaurants often ignore the old rule and serve oysters in the summer because they have consistent access to oysters from cooler climates. In the summer, oysters are harvested from the Pacific Northwest (Northern California to Washington to Canada), Northeast (Maryland to Maine), and below the equator (New Zealand). Ordering oysters from cooler waters is a good way to hedge your bets, but it's not foolproof because spawning is about temperature, not season. "Warm" is relative to an oyster, depending on what temperature the little guys are accustomed to. Oysters from cooler climates spawn at lower temperatures than oysters from warmer waters. But even those imported from New Zealand, where it's winter now, can still be spawning when harvested.

"It's dependably unpredictable," jokes Jon Rowley, director of marketing for Washington-based Taylor Shellfish Farms. "I had a couple at lunch the other day, and I could tell they were just starting to get the urge."

Fortunately, you easily can tell an oyster is spawning.

"Spawning oysters look foamy and milky, even a little slimy," says David Lentz, executive chef at the Hungry Cat in Hollywood.

In theory, a good restaurant should never serve a spawning oyster. Chefs train their line cooks to spot spawning oysters (or at least they should), even if they're serving oysters from icy-cold waters. But detecting them isn't always easy.

When oysters are just beginning to spawn, the reproductive sac is still quite small. "It looks like a thin, cream-colored line off to the side of the oyster. Most people wouldn't even notice it," says Blake Wheeler, buyer for American Fish and Seafood Co., a Los Angeles-based wholesale and retail seafood supplier.

Even trained chefs can miss signs of spawning. "Early on, the creaminess is hidden, more underneath or just inside the oyster, so it's harder to see," says Allyson Thurber, executive chef at the Lobster in Santa Monica.

Chefs depend on their suppliers to provide top-quality shellfish and reduce the likelihood of serving spawning oysters.

Providence executive chef Michael Cimarusti seeks out suppliers he can trust. "Better farms will limit production in warmer months, setting oysters in deeper, cooler waters," he says. "But the key is to rely on really good purveyors who won't sell you spawning oysters in the first place."

At Water Grill downtown, executive chef David LeFevre orders oysters a few days before planning to serve them (oysters can live up to a week out of water). When they arrive, he shucks a couple from the bushel. "If those aren't spawning, chances are they'll all be good since it's a group thing," he says.

But even with the keenest trained eye, you still might end up with a few spawning oysters on your plate, especially if they're just getting their groove.

In the early 1980s, a high-tech method was developed to curtail the spawning problem, but it proved to be less effective than hoped. Scientists used chemical or pressure shock to trick oysters into adding a third chromosome. These genetically modified oysters (known as triploids) were sexless, so they never spawned.

But the process isn't foolproof. As many as 20% of treated oysters don't convert, which means spawners are still a problem. And those that do become triploids are more susceptible to premature death than their diploid cousins.

But it's the appearance of triploids that's been the biggest hurdle to their widespread use in restaurants.

"They taste the same as diploids, but they're almost gray in color, not as glistening or appetizing," says Jeff Pearson of Taylor Shellfish. "When you open up a triploid, you see more of the shell because they're not as muscular or meaty."

Despite their shortcomings, some hatcheries plant triploids in the summer months because they permit a longer growing season in areas that used to be too hot for summer harvesting. And despite appearances, they taste exactly the same as their diploid cousins.

In the end, recognizing when an oyster is hot and bothered is a very useful skill.

Look for the telltale milky sac that indicates an oyster is spawning. If it's just getting going, the sac is little more than a thin, cream-colored line less than half an inch long. If the oyster is in high gear, the sac will be large and cloudy, overtaking much of the oyster's body mass. And if that's what you see on your plate, you shouldn't hesitate to send them back, either at a restaurant or to your retailer.

Says Thurber, "If we don't catch it, tell us. A restaurant wants to know."

To serve oysters at home, buy from a reputable seafood purveyor. And in the summer, choose varieties grown in cooler waters.

Luckily, you won't have to worry about whether they'll spawn on the car ride home, even if it's a little toasty outside. "Clams can spawn right in the box," says Rowley. "It's a real mess. But I've never seen an oyster do it."

Once you get home, shuck a few to make sure they're not spawning (if they are, return them right away). Store them in the refrigerator for up to a week, bottom (flat shell) side up, and cover in moist paper towels (plastic bags will suffocate them).

When you're ready to serve them, just look them over for any telltale milkiness as you pile them on ice. Then pop open that chilled Chablis and savor summer's deliciously briny little pearls from the sea.

*************

I generally buy oysters for 40 pesos/docena at the market in Ensenada. They are bigger than all the oysters I've ever had in a restaurant. From San Quintin.

[Edited on 7-21-2006 by Hook]

[Edited on 7-21-2006 by Hook]

Sharksbaja - 7-21-2006 at 12:30 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jerry
hea sharks baja i dont know why oregon oysters are so hi compared to washington state oysters?? i can get a bushel of them in portland for $20.00 if at the oregon coast right from the farm$44.00- $50.00 and as long as there very fresh there both very good



Shhhhhhhh! I still serve Ekones (Willipa Bay) too Jerry but only till they start spawning! They're very good uo till then They don't give wholesale prices over the counter here on the coast. Just like gas is usally higher here than anywhere else in the country. Funny, they obviously aren't basing their higher prices on money or earning demographics. :rolleyes: It's more likely they want to gouge travelers along the coast. Just think of the gas hogs plying hwy 101! :lol: Good grief at's a lotta greeno for a tanko of gaso!:!: Then charge double for oysters.
I was told by a few that Newport doesn't have half-shell oysters. I'm like what?? Since we don't serve the local farmed oysters and never have but ALL the others do. I realized that the farm recommends cooking ALL their oysters and that is great biz for us.

We gottem half-shell oysters!THEY DON'T! Deep cold water and line seeded these are oysters with low gut, non-sediment non-spawn, sweet flavoured firm and attractive as far as oysters go.

THey impart a clean crisp burst filled with sweet esscense of the clear sea. Our homemade Beaver horseradish c-cktail sauce will round them out. A squeeze of fresh lemon or lime and you're in oyster heaven. (she'll thank you later:o):lol:


I just heard of closures on the Hood Canal.:!:

Sharksbaja - 7-21-2006 at 12:31 PM

Good info Hook!!

jerry - 7-21-2006 at 07:45 PM

ohhhh shark i had your shooters and hmmmm your right thanks

jerry - 7-21-2006 at 07:46 PM

thanks hook very informative