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Oysters
“He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.”
― Jonathan Swift
I've always liked oysters. I got my taste for them from my Dad. Even before we moved to the Coast, he'd buy them in jars and get Mom to batter them with cornmeal and fry them up. Sometimes he'd cook them in a saucepan with milk and butter to make a simple oyster stew.
After we moved to the Coast, they were plentiful, so we had them often. Oysters came from oyster beds out in the Mississippi Sound where they were harvested by oystermen using long tongs that would reach down to the beds on the shallow bottom. The harvested oysters were brought in to the seafood companies where they were "shucked" or opened with special knives and put into jars for sale. You always knew an oyster shed by the pile of shells next to it.
Dad would sometimes bring home some fresh oysters and shuck them himself. He'd shuck one, place it on a cracker with a dash of hot sauce, and eat it raw. We usually had a boat and we often went out to the barrier islands off the coast. I recall once that Dad and I were out at one of those Islands and Dad, who was an excellent swimmer, swam down and picked some oysters right off the bottom. He got back in the boat and shucked them at ate them right there. I tried them raw a few times, but in those days I mostly preferred fried oysters. Years later, I developed a taste for oysters on the half-shell and now I like them quite a lot. I prefer crisp North Atlantic oysters with a squeeze of lemon juice and a glass of dry white wine, but I also like Gulf oysters with a dab of hot sauce on crackers. Maine oysters are good. We've been to a couple of oyster farm with restaurants and I sampled their wares.
Another delicious way that we ate oysters (and I still do...) was Oysters Rockefeller. This spinach and oyster dish originated in New Orleans, and the oysters are broiled in the half shell. A bit of sizzling bacon adds an excellent flavor to a broiled or baked oyster. Oysters Bienville are good, too.
Fried oysters are still one of my favorite dishes. Medium-sized oysters, coated with cornmeal or a cornmeal and flour mixture and then deep-fried until crispy, with french fries and slaw, are delicious. Fried oysters and French fries are one of the best uses for catsup that I know. Another great way to eat fried oysters is to put them between the top and bottom halves of a sliced baguette of French bread with lettuce and tomato and tartar sauce or remoulade sauce. This is called a "po-boy" or sometimes a "poor-boy". Whatever you call it, it's delicious. "Po-boys" can be made with shrimp or ham or roast beef, too, but the oyster po-boy is a peak experience.
Phaed
Oyster Recipes on this site:
Fried Oysters Wrapped in Bacon
Cornbread Dressing with Oysters
Cocoanut Grove Oysters St. James
------------------------------------- Southern Fried Oysters 1 c. self-rising cornmeal 1 c. self-rising flour 1/4 tsp. red pepper (optional) 2 eggs 2 tbsp. milk 2 (12 oz.) containers fresh select oysters, drained Vegetable oil Combine cornmeal, flour and pepper, stirring well. Combine eggs and milk, beating well with a fork. Dip oysters in egg mixture and dredge in flour mixture. Pour oil to depth of 2 to 3 inches in Dutch oven.Heat to 375 degrees, fry oysters in oil until golden, turning once, drain on paper towels. 6 servings. ------------------------------- Fried Oysters 1 c. cracker meal 1/2 c. cornmeal 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 1 (12 oz.) container fresh oysters, drained 2 eggs, beaten Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Dip oysters in egg; then dredge in meal mixture. Fry oysters in deep, hot oil for 1 1/2 minutes or until golden, turning once. Drain on paper towels. ------------------------------- Fried Oysters 1 pt. oysters 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. salt Dash of pepper 2 beaten eggs Cooking oil Drain oysters; dry thoroughly on paper towel. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir dry ingredients into beaten eggs. Beat until smooth. Cover; let stand 10-15 minutes. Pour oil into deep skillet to depth of 1 inch; heat to 375 degrees. Dip oysters in batter a few at a time. Fry oysters in hot oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain hot oysters well on paper towel. Keep cooked oysters hot. -------------------------------- Fried Oyster Po' Boy Serves: 4 Ingredients: 24 shucked oysters, drained yellow cornmeal, seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and cayenne, for coating. (Cayenne is to taste or optional) vegetable oil for deep-frying 2 loaves soft-crusted French bread sliced tomatoes shredded iceberg lettuce Tartar sauce, remoulade sauce, or mayonnaise. In a heavy-duty plastic bag, working in batches of 6, coat oysters with cornmeal, knocking off excess. In a heavy kettle heat 1 1/2 inches of oil to 375 deg. F. on a deep-fat thermometer and fry oysters in batches of 6, turning occasionally, until golden and just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer oysters with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Halve loaves crosswise and horizontally, cutting all the way through and spread each piece with about 2 tablespoons tartar sauce, remolaude sauce, or thousand island dressing. Divide tomatoes, lettuce, and oysters among bottom pieces of bread and top with remaining bread, pressing together gently. Comments: You can use oysters cooked any of the three ways mentioned above, or the strictly cornmeal coated ones in this recipe. Toast the French bread if you like. One of the best oyster po-boys I ever had used thousand island dressing instead of tartar sauce. -------------------------------------------------------- Oysters Rockefeller Ingredients 2 slices bacon 24 unopened, fresh, live medium oysters 1 1/2 cups cooked spinach 1/3 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup chopped green onions 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 dash hot pepper sauce 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon anise flavored liqueur (Pernod) 4 cups kosher salt Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Clean oysters and place in a large stockpot. Pour in enough water to cover oysters; bring the water and oysters to a boil. Remove from heat and drain and cool oysters. When cooled break the top shell off of each oyster. Using a food processor, chop the bacon, spinach, bread crumbs, green onions, and parsley. Add the salt, hot sauce, olive oil and anise-flavored liqueur and process until finely chopped but not pureed,about 10 seconds. Arrange the oysters in their half shells on a pan with kosher salt. Spoon some of the spinach mixture on each oyster. Bake 10 minutes until cooked through, then change the oven's setting to broil and broil until browned on top. Serve hot.