Aw…shucks!

One from a bushel of oysters!  This was a nice surprise.

The right tool makes all the difference.

Yum.

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About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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13 Comments

  1. Southern Baron says:

    We once bought a pint of fresh-shucked oysters from a Sam’s in the New Orleans area. When cleaning them for bits of shell, we found four natural pearls–best deal Sam’s has ever offered!

  2. albizzi says:

    The best tool for opening the oysters is the french made folding knife “Opinel” n°8 ( brand name, stainless steel version). It has a “virolle” a special mechanism to keep it steadily open when operating on the oysters.
    The Opinel agent in Florida is Mr R. Quintana, Ft Lauderdale.

  3. Andy Lucy says:

    Any pearls of wisdom on how these beautiful bivalves are going to contribute to your epicurean experience?

  4. Andy: Sure!

    I ate some of them.

  5. jmhj5 says:

    yummmmmmms…I’m missing my handy little knife like that it had an oak handle…I used it when canning pears,also. Holy envy..I just went to confession yesterday.

  6. EIWWW!!! LOL.

    I really love crabs, shrimp, and scallops. But I just cannot bring myself to eat oysters, clams, snails and octopus. I suppose if I was going to starve to death.

  7. benedetta says:

    Looks delicious!

  8. APX says:

    @Diane at Te Deum Laudamus
    I just cannot bring myself to eat oysters, clams, snails and octopus.
    I bet if you give them cute Japanese names you could eat them. :P

    Oh man, I had the greatest Tako (octopus) and Hokkigai (surf clam) sashimi the other night. I love how it’s so chewy and rubbery. So delicious!

  9. Patti Day says:

    Besides the proper knife, you need a willing soul with good wrist strength to open them. Umm, nothing like an ice-cold, briney oyster, eaten straight from the shell. No little fork, no lemon, no seafood sauce necessary.

  10. APX says:

    @Patti Day

    I’m too paranoid of food poisoning to eat them right out of the shell.

  11. Supertradmum says:

    Oh my goodness, how wonderful. I love oysters, mussels, etc. Bon appetit! I love them fresh, but here is a good recipe for cooking, if you have any left over…

    Ingredients
    1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    2 garlic cloves, crushed
    1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry
    1/4 cup fat-free cream cheese
    1/4 cup fat-free half-and-half
    Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
    Dash of ground nutmeg
    1 pint shelled oysters, drained, rinsed and patted dry
    1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    Hot pepper sauce, to taste
    Directions

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small skillet, saute garlic in oil until soft; add spinach, cream cheese and half and half. Saute, stirring, until blended, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg.
    Spread spinach mixture over bottom of 10-inch pie plate or oven-proof dish. Top with oysters; sprinkle on cheese and hot sauce. Bake for 15 minutes. If needed, briefly broil to brown.

    On the other hand, you can steam with white wine and serve quickly hot.

  12. irishgirl says:

    Never had raw oysters-only ones I eat are in clam chowder soup.
    APX-speaking of eating ‘rubbery things’: on my first trip to Rome ‘way back in 1977, I had calamari squid for dinner in my hotel room, just to find out how it tasted.
    I think I managed to swallow it without gagging….ewwww….
    I’m sure it’s pretty cool to shuck oysters and find a pearl or two inside, though!

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