Some great recipes on the site this week for cooking em. Also good sources for fresh oysters by mail if you dont have a good source and an interesting
restaurant in Tomales Bay.
Why would anyone cook a perfectly good oyster? It's simple -- there's no arguing with delicious.
By Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
January 30, 2008
WE were wandering south along Tomales Bay a couple of months ago and stopped in for oysters at a little place called Marshall Store. I ordered up a
dozen raw, and an icy Sierra Nevada. And then, just on a whim, I asked them to toss in another dozen oysters barbecued -- they're a local specialty
and I thought I at least ought to try them.
Barbecued oysters are not the kind of thing I usually order. I've always thought of cooked oysters as something you settle for -- what you eat only
when the oysters are no longer of the first quality or when you have had so many raw ones you're tired of them (and despite repeated attempts at
reaching that limit, I have never even come close).
At Marshall Store, the raw oysters were magnificent, as expected; after all, we were eating them no more than five yards from the icy Northern
California waters where they were grown. But what really amazed me was how great the barbecued oysters were. Freshly shucked, they were lightly
brushed with garlic butter, quickly grilled and then finished with a squirt of house-made chipotle sauce.
The preparation was simple, but the result was beguilingly complex. All of the flavors were in balance: the garlic butter smoothing out the oysters'
sharp brininess and the chipotle sauce offering a hint of sweet smoke and fire.
Old prejudices die hard, but there is no arguing with delicious.
Curious, I started re-examining old oyster recipes. That's where, as if to rub (sea) salt in my wounds, I came across this quote from James Beard:
"Many gourmets, or so-called gourmets, tell you that to eat an oyster in any fashion except directly from the shell is to show ignorance of
gastronomic tradition and the rules of good taste. This is nonsense."
Back to the kitchen
THOROUGHLY chastened, I retired to my kitchen to explore. A couple of weeks and scores of cooked oysters later, I've learned that he's right. Cooked
oysters aren't better than raw, but they are different -- and in a delicious way.
Cooking oysters changes their flavor and their texture. What was once aggressively briny, tasting like cold, clean seawater, is calmed, allowing the
mollusks' natural sweetness to shine through. The seductively slippery texture is firmed, turning from wet and wild to soothingly custardy.
The transformation is magical, whether you're gently poaching the oysters in a rich tarragon-scented stew, or roasting them to be served with melting
braised fennel or a sprightly chipotle butter.
But let's be clear right from the start that when we talk about "cooking" oysters, we're really talking about something closer to "warming" them. It
takes only three or four minutes' poaching and less than 10 minutes in the oven.
It's really easy to tell when an oyster is done: You can see it plump and firm, and the small ring of muscle around the outside will gently curl.
Perhaps it's just my imagination, but it looks as if the oyster is smiling.
You should be smiling too. Though raw oysters are among nature's most inconvenient foods -- even well-practiced oyster shuckers can run into problems
opening them -- it's pretty amazing what a little cooking can do.
The edible part of an oyster is basically one big muscle that is devoted to keeping the two halves of the shell closed. Warm an oyster in the shell,
though, if only for five minutes or so, and the muscle relaxes. This makes opening it, if not quite a breeze, at least much easier. At this point it's
certainly not suited for the raw bar, but it's still well short of fully cooked.
You can even do this in the microwave: 20 to 30 seconds on medium heat or "defrost" will do the trick. Don't go any longer, though, or the shell will
begin to give off a somewhat unpleasant smell.
Once the oysters are warmed, shuck them as you normally would: Wrap the oyster cup- side down in a dish towel to protect your hand. Probe the narrow
hinge end with an oyster knife. When you find a spot where the knife can slip in a couple of inches, just give the blade a twist. It will pop the
hinge, opening the oyster.
Use the sharp edge of the knife to separate the muscle from the shell, top and bottom, and you're ready to go. It's a good idea to work over a bowl,
so you can catch any of the delicious liquid that leaks. Before you add it back to the dish, pour it through a strainer to remove any shell fragments.
Using jarred oysters
JARRED oysters, available at most good fish counters, can be handy, but in my experience they should be used with discretion. In the first place, I've
found widely varying quality with different brands. The ones I've been happiest with have been from high-quality oyster growers such as Hama Hama
(available at Mitsuwa markets) and Taylor Shellfish Farms (at Marukai stores or www.taylorshellfishfarms.com).
Be aware that the liquid in the jar is not oyster juice, but rather the clean water the oysters were rinsed with. It won't add much to the dish.
Sizes vary and should be labeled on the jar. But even small jarred oysters may be bigger than you'd think. The Hama Hama "extra-smalls" I bought
averaged 2 to 3 inches in length; the Taylor "mediums" were 4 to 5 -- practically knife-and-fork size. I figure a 10-ounce jar will yield the
equivalent of about 24 of my hand-shucked oysters.
I found jarred oysters work best in stews and dishes like that. If you want to roast them, arrange the oysters and their accompaniments in small
ramekins and cook them that way.
If you're cooking oysters in liquid, you'll probably want it to be cream or at least half-and-half. Oysters take to cream like ducks to water. There's
something about their flavor that seems to want a little richness to round it out. I've noticed the same thing with crab -- make a Dungeness crab
salad with vinaigrette and it can seem a little mingy; bind it with mayonnaise and it's practically guaranteed to be amazing.
Perhaps the easiest and most common cooked-oyster recipe is for stew. Small wonder there are about a million variations. At its most basic, an oyster
stew can be nothing more than oysters warmed in light cream. If the oysters are good, this two-ingredient dish can be surprisingly delicious.
But why stop there? My favorite oyster stew is not all that much more complicated to make, but it adds more layers of flavor. Start by stewing
prosciutto, leeks and shallots in butter. Add wine and reduce it, then bring half-and-half to a bare simmer. When bubbles begin to appear around the
rim of the pan, add the oysters and cook just until they're done. What brings all of the flavors into focus is a last-minute garnish of chopped
tarragon (oysters love licorice flavors almost as much as they love cream).
If you're cooking the oysters in the oven, prop them on a bed of rock salt to ensure that the notoriously tippy shells stay upright, retaining all of
the liquid. You can play with adding different ingredients to the salt. This doesn't actually add flavor to the oysters (any more than the salt does),
but scattering spices and dried herbs among the salt crystals before roasting can add an amazing aroma that lingers well after the pan is brought to
the table.
Use that perfume to reinforce the flavors of the dish. Oysters roasted on a bed of braised fennel, finished with a little Pernod cream were really
good (there's that licorice thing again). But when I added fennel seed, chopped fennel stalks and black peppercorns to the rock salt, they seemed to
take on another dimension.
Notice that when you're roasting oysters, you'll want to add a bit of fat to them too. All it takes is a very small amount of butter or cream to add a
luscious sheen; any more and they'll be swimming, and that's not an improvement.
That, I think, is part of the magic of the Marshall Store barbecued oysters. That little brush with butter is enough to round out the flavor. The only
problem with that preparation is that you have to be a pretty slick shucker to get enough oysters ready for grilling in time.
Trying to duplicate the dish at home, I came up with what I think is an elegant compromise. Make chipotle butter by pureeing canned chipotles and
garlic in a blender, then streaming in melted butter. Then, instead of shucking the oysters, brushing them with butter, grilling them, then saucing
them, I just give them a brief roast first to loosen the shell, and then spoon on just a dab of the chipotle butter before returning them to the oven
to glaze.
This is different than the original, both in process and in finished result. The flavors are brighter and more assertive, and there is a distinct
prickle of chile heat that isn't as obvious in the Marshall Store version.
The most obvious difference, of course, is that you won't have the icy waters of Tomales Bay at your feet. Still, this dish is so delicious that it is
more than enough to keep you -- and your oysters -- smiling until the next time you do.
russ.parsons@latimes.com
Marshall Store, 19225 State Route 1, Marshall (about 20 minutes north of Point Reyes); (415) 663-1339. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.tripledigitken - 1-30-2008 at 10:32 AM
Hook,
Agree about the cooked Oysters (still love them on the half shell also).
There was a place in Jack London Square in Oakland that specialized in Bar B Que'd Oysters. I think it was called the Capri? Not sure of name, but
right on the water. They were extraordinary.
Anyway those Bar B'd Oysters converted me to eating them cooked.
Actually now I think about it those Po Boy's at Dukes in Seattle were pretty darn tasty too.
Ken
[Edited on 1-30-2008 by tripledigitken]DanO - 1-30-2008 at 11:34 AM
Shucking before cooking is too much work. I toss them on the BBQ until they pop open, remove the top shell, squeeze on some lime, add a splash of
good extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of Tapatio, and have at it. Nothing better.Hook - 1-30-2008 at 12:23 PM
DanO, that's the way I was taught by one of Dave and Juanita's kids at the Cielito Lindo back in the early 90s. I checked into a room, went out on the
back patio and there was this guy cooking whole oysters over a fire in a 55 gallon drum. He offered a few to me in the same manner (maybe with
Tamazula instead?) and I have been hooked ever since. I made it a point of buying a dozen or two in SQ on my way to parts farther south.
A guy on the beach at Chivato one year convinced me to make some ceviche style, too. Lime and tomato and onion, etc; you know the schtick. Very good,
it firmed up the flesh nicely.
BTW, today's issue of the Times Food section is one of the best ever for me. Big article on sourdough starters, the oyster article and recipes, a look
at some Slovakean wines and what looks like a killer lemon bars recipe from a bakery in LA.DanO - 1-30-2008 at 03:20 PM
OTOH, there's nothing quite like sharing a couple dozen raw osteones and a few cold beers with friends and the oysterman right on the bay at SQ, as
soon as he drags them out of the water. No condiments needed. Beats the hell out of the oyster bar at Grand Central Station.Oso - 1-30-2008 at 05:04 PM
I too love the "shuck me, suck me, eat me raw" approach. (from a teeshirt of a raw bar in Savannah, GA.) although some say there can be some health
risk, hepatitus or whatever. But I always remember growing up in NC and the oyster bars where they were served steamed by the bucket load. One would
sit at the bar with a small fork and a bowl of drawn butter. A shucker on the other side of the bar would open the hot shells and flip the steaming
oyster into glass cup or saucer. You dipped the oyster into the butter and slurped it down while your server kept pace. Tips were welcome. I'm not
sure how prevalent this is anymore, nothing like that around here.Lindalou - 6-18-2008 at 12:52 PM
Hook, what a wonderful post. As you can see I don't get here often. Some years back, my sis, hubby and self stooped at a little cafe in CA, looked
like a fast food joint, the ocean was just below us crashing onto the cliffs, I can't remember where it was but had the first and the best BBQ oysters
I have ever eaten. Not found anything like them since. I still love them raw too.Cypress - 6-18-2008 at 01:10 PM
Shucking Oysters! Takes me about 3 hrs. to shuck a sack of those little
dumplings.A good sack will shuck-out to a gallon+ of real tastey
oysters. I'm talking about Mississippi and Louisiana oysters.Sharksbaja - 6-18-2008 at 02:59 PM
A great subject indeed! If I had a restaurant in Baja I would/could reply in depth.
Don't get me wrong.....I have a dozen personal recipes and I love oysters, wish I could say/share more.
Exactly how is this thread related to Baja, Hook?Diver - 6-18-2008 at 03:10 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by DanO
Shucking before cooking is too much work. I toss them on the BBQ until they pop open, remove the top shell, squeeze on some lime, add a splash of
good extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of Tapatio, and have at it. Nothing better.
On the grill until they open is my favorite way !
We used to get huge coolers full of Apalachiacola oysters when I was in college and line the 10' long grill for all to enjoy !!
But then, I remember getting dollar-a-dozen, 50 cent size oysters already shucked with lime and tabasco. The pitcher of beer always had a bag of ice
floating on top !!!
Mmmm.... those were the days !!
Takes me about 3 hrs. to shuck a sack of those little
dumplings.
A good sack will shuck-out to a gallon+ of real tastey
oysters.
I'm talking about Mississippi and Louisiana oysters.