The Big O - Oysters at Home

Oysters on the Half-shell: Life, Love, Health, History of Mollusks

Oct 9, 2007 Jacqueline Church

They stay in bed all day, are huge drinkers, and wait for their meals to come to them. They imbue us with a sense of life's possibilities. Aphrodisiacs, too? Possibly.

We are speaking of course of the humble oyster. Few of our treasured food items have such a storied past. October is National Seafood Month and a good time to celebrate the lovely bivalve.

How to shuck oysters, which to shuck and more

Imagine the first person to eat an oyster. He must have been hungry indeed. And considering that oyster middens (beds of empty shells) have been found dating back thousands of years, our early oyster shuckers were unlike the luxury diners who consume them today.

Mark Kurlansky's “The Big Oyster – History on the Half Shell” is a fascinating book that tells as much about the oyster as it does about the history of New York, early commerce, politics, and of human nature with all its flaws. If history classes in school were this artfully told, perhaps some of us would have had better attendance records. The oyster's history is intertwined with that of New York in so many ways, almost no aspect of the evolution of the city is without a connection to the humble oyster.

Given that oysters are filter feeders (a single oyster will filter up to 5 liters of water per hour) the environmental risks and benefits are now clear. In New York's early days when sewage and waste were regularly dumped into the streets and the Bay, this was not yet understood. The arrival of typhoid helped make the grim connections apparent.

The oyster's history in New York is a not only a good read, it's also a lesson for consumers and policy makers. New York's oyster beds were so productive that people imagined they would never be depleted. Unfortunately, we have learned that our appetites outstrip Nature's ability to replenish her beds.

Healthy Choice for Us and Our Environment

Today's focus on sustainable seafood choices makes the oyster a fine and healthy choice. They are full of vitamins, minerals, a good source of protein, low in fat and have omega 3s. Their high zinc content is thought to be the basis for their claimed aphrodisiac qualities, perhaps its connection to healthy sperm count is the reason.

Not only can we farm them in ways that don't harm the waterways, but they will actually improve the quality of the water in which they're raised. Other types of aquaculture (many shrimp and fish farms) release waste, and often antibiotics into the surrounding water, causing algae blooms and disrupting or destroying the natural ecosystem. Oysters on the other hand, require little and give back more.

In the Chesapeake Bay where beds of oysters are estimated to have filtered the entire bay in 2 days, efforts are underway to rebuild the beds since depleted, primarily for environmental concerns.

For a beautiful peek into les paysans de la mer French oyster farmers, see Saveur online this month.

Wine Pairings, Terroir and Oysters' Expression of Place

Speaking of France and oysters, let's talk about wine pairings. As with the expression of terroir in wines, the place where an oyster develops is expressed in the finished product.s Some now call it "merroir". East Coast oysters versus Southern versus West Coast oysters will each have distinct characteristics imparted by the temperature of the waters among other things.

Varieties of Oysters

Crassostrea virginica are found in Atlantic waters from Canada to Argentina. You may find Blue Points, Chesapeakes, Cotuits, Malpeques, Wellfleets, and others with unique flavor profiles due to their local environment. Some will be more briny or salty, others will be sweeter. Duxbury are local faves.

Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, found from Japan to Washington state and as far south as Australia include varieties such as Kumamotos, Dabob Bay, Snow Creek. They're often smaller with a deeper cup and many have a cucumber or melon finish.

Any oyster is complemented by a nice flinty Chablis. Sancerre is another good pairing and no oyster lover complains of a glass of champagne with their half-shells.

Shucking and History of Eating Oysters

Kurlansky's book is filled with recipes from early settlers notes. Many ways of stewing, pickling and baking are documented. If you prefer them on the half shell you need only ask your friendly fish monger for a lesson. Pick up a couple dozen and a knife, bring them home and get to it. Come to think of it, I should add an oyster knife to my list of essential tools.

A new Connoisseur's Guide to Oysters The Geography of Oysters has just been published. This link will direct you to a DIY experience and the author, Rowan Jacobsen's informative website, including a profile that matches your palate to suggested oysters and a list of purveyors that ship.

The copyright of the article The Big O - Oysters at Home in Gourmet Food is owned by Jacqueline Church. Permission to republish The Big O - Oysters at Home in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.