A Tribute to the Months that End in “R”

Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Oysters on the Half-Shell at Home

*Grilled oysters on the half-shell with garlic-Parmesan butter, ginger-soy sauce, cocktail sauce, mignonette, kimchi, lemon wedges, cilantro, green onion, thyme and chives*

Yeah, no fibbin’. You can do it. You can have raw oysters at home. And from my personal experience, you’ll be super proud and enjoy them even more because you did it yourself.

*Raw oysters on the half-shell with mignonette, hot sauces, kimchi, green onions, ginger-soy sauce, cilantro, cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.*

The time is right. We are solidly-positioned in the “r”-months, which are often considered a safer time to enjoy raw oysters (though that’s debatable). So with September behind us, and the waters getting cooler, despite climate change, it’s time to enjoy the ocean’s shellfish harvest. And my favorite thing to harvest is raw oysters. I fancy the smaller, creamy west coast varieties, but I won’t turn my nose up at a big, briny east coast shell, either.

*Four kinds of oysters (west coast on left; east coast on right)*

I recently got four kinds and tasted them at the same time to compare them. The right side is east coast; the left side, west. The Hammersleys (excuse the spelling error in the pic), from South Puget Sound in Washington state, were far and away my favorite, with a creamy, meaty, mineral taste.

My second favorite were the Miyagis, from Hood Canal, Washington. They’re tangy and have a little bit of cucumber flavor.

Of the east coasters (both from Massachusetts), I preferred the Moonrises for their sweeter flavor, while the South Bay Blondes mostly came across as big and salty.

To prepare oysters on the half-shell, you’ll need a cut-resistant glove, a shucking knife, and a strong belief in your ability to learn new things. After that, you need a good purveyor and solid knowledge of the concept of time and temperature management.

With all raw foods, it’s important to trust your source and handle your raw ingredients carefully. That means purchasing on the day you plan to serve if possible and keeping your oysters between 34 and 40 degrees at all times. Bring along a bag of ice and a cooler, even if they’ll only be in transit for 20 minutes. Better safe than sorry.

Once you get them home, put them curved side down in a dish, cover with a clean, wet towel and refrigerate until ready to shuck. To clean them, I prefer a clean toothbrush and cold water. Oyster shells are made of calcium, like our teeth, so it makes sense to me. Don’t submerge them in water. Place the oysters in a colander and rinse them under cold running water as you quickly scrub them with the toothbrush. Rinse again, then return them to the dish, covered with a clean, wet towel as you shuck them.

To shuck them, wear a cut-resistant glove on your non-dominant hand. Place the oyster curved-side down in that hand and use a sharp, short knife (it doesn’t have to be an “oyster” knife, but sharp and short are both helpful attributes to have for this task) in the other hand to shimmy open the oyster at the hinge. Rock the blade back and forth to open the oyster. As soon as it opens, wipe off the blade on a clean towel to avoid getting pieces of the shell inside the oyster. Run the knife along the top of the shell to release the meat from the shell. Discard the top of the shell.

NOW: SMELL EACH OYSTER TO MAKE SURE IT’S GOOD. If it smells bad, discard it and reluctantly accept that throwing away a bad, though perfectly-shucked oyster is part of the learning process. This is not a step to skip. Wipe off the knife again. Then, gently scrape the oyster meat away from the bottom of the shell where it’s attached. Yay, you did it!

Place the oysters on ice, rock salt, lettuce or anything else that keeps them from tipping over (or, pro-tip: skip the fluffy base and use a deviled egg platter instead, as they seem tailor-made for oysters on the half shell), and serve with whatever sauces and goodies you prefer. Then all that’s left to do is marvel at your new-found abilities!

Here are my favorite sauces for serving:

Mignonette Sauce

3 TB minced shallot or red onion
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Garlic-Parmesan Butter Sauce

1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 TB grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Ginger-Soy Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 TB lime juice
2 TB lemon juice
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp bonito flakes or fish sauce
1 green onion, thinly sliced on the bias

Cocktail Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup
2 TB horseradish
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB gin
1/4 tsp pepper

For each sauce, combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and transfer to a ramekin or small serving bowl. All sauces can be made ahead, covered, and refrigerated for up to 5 days. If making the Ginger Soy Sauce ahead, wait to add the green onion until ready to serve.

Oh, and if you’re a little nervous and want slightly cooked oysters, throw them on the grill, curved side down, and wait til they open. On a grill set to medium heat, that’s about 5 to 7 minutes, depending on their size. You still have to follow the same steps to separate them from the top and bottom parts of the shells, but you skip the opening step and if they DON’T open, you know they weren’t safe to eat.

*Opened oysters, after grilling 5 minutes*

In the end, preparing oysters is like so many culinary tasks – from making crepes to grilling a steak – you’re probably going to mess it up the first time. But once you do it a couple of times, you’re part of a special group. A group of people who thought it was worth trying, who thought they should give it a shot. And I’m here to tell you, it feels great being part of that group. Alright, go on out and enjoy those “r” months, already!