shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13048
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
|
|
Fresh Oysters in Jesus Maria and tongue tacos in El Rosario
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
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2647
Registered: 12-19-2004
Location: Todos Santos/Full time for now...
Member Is Offline
Mood: Wondering what is next???
|
|
Oh Shari, you are making my mouth water. Bye gotta find something to eat, but you have pushed the bar so high ugh!
Albert G
Remember, if you haven\'t got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart, then you are just a sour old fart!....
The most precious thing we have is life, yet it has absolutely no trade-in value.
|
|
|
Capt. George
Super Nomad
Posts: 2129
Registered: 8-21-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
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
\"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men\" Plato
|
|
|
Bajalero
Nomad
Posts: 316
Registered: 11-24-2003
Location: todos santos/ rcho san diego
Member Is Offline
|
|
| 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
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2647
Registered: 12-19-2004
Location: Todos Santos/Full time for now...
Member Is Offline
Mood: Wondering what is next???
|
|
Thanks for the insight....
El Stupidad Gringo
Albert G
Remember, if you haven\'t got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart, then you are just a sour old fart!....
The most precious thing we have is life, yet it has absolutely no trade-in value.
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65244
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
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
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
Member Is Offline
|
|
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.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
|
|
|
Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
|
|
You'd scream
if you knew what I pay for the best.
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 
I'll have to try em there Shari. How big are they??
DON\'T SQUINT! Give yer eyes a break!
Try holding down [control] key and toggle the [+ and -] keys
Viva Mulege!
Nomads\' Sunsets
|
|
|
Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
|
|
Oysters.
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
Super Nomad
Posts: 1354
Registered: 10-10-2003
Location: loreto
Member Is Offline
|
|
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
jerry and judi
|
|
|
Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
|
|
Interesting article in the LA Times this week
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
|
|
| 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.  It's more
likely they want to gouge travelers along the coast. Just think of the gas hogs plying hwy 101! 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)
I just heard of closures on the Hood Canal.
DON\'T SQUINT! Give yer eyes a break!
Try holding down [control] key and toggle the [+ and -] keys
Viva Mulege!
Nomads\' Sunsets
|
|
|
Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
|
|
Good info Hook!!
DON\'T SQUINT! Give yer eyes a break!
Try holding down [control] key and toggle the [+ and -] keys
Viva Mulege!
Nomads\' Sunsets
|
|
|
jerry
Super Nomad
Posts: 1354
Registered: 10-10-2003
Location: loreto
Member Is Offline
|
|
ohhhh shark i had your shooters and hmmmm your right thanks
jerry and judi
|
|
|
jerry
Super Nomad
Posts: 1354
Registered: 10-10-2003
Location: loreto
Member Is Offline
|
|
thanks hook very informative
jerry and judi
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
