Are you looking for something exotic for dinner at home? Then look no further than oysters! We understand that opening and serving oysters at home can seem like a rocket science, but it does not have to be! Read our article on how to eat this delicious seafood at home!
Sprinkle oysters with lemon juice — if it’s a fresh oyster, it will shrink from the acid. Use a special knife to detach the meat from the shell and drink the contents in one gulp. You can also extract the oyster meat using a special fork and drink the juice from the shell separately.
Gourmets recommend not chewing oysters but swallowing them as a whole. However, you should try both options and choose the one that suits you best.
How to Choose Oysters?
There used to be myths that you should eat oysters only in those months, in the name of which there is the letter “P.” Thus, you need to include this delicacy in your diet only from September to March. This is because, in the rest of the year, oysters begin their breeding season, making oysters bitter.
You can buy oysters in seafood shops, in markets, or restaurants. A good oyster should be heavy due to its water content and with a tightly closed shell. It should smell only of the sea. After knocking on the surface of the shell, it is important to hear a dull knock. The sound should not be empty.
The quality and freshness can be easily determined right away. You need to shake the oyster near your ear. If there is a sound, the oyster is not very fresh. Live oysters firmly hold onto the inner walls of the shell, so there should be no sounds during shaking.
To choose good-quality oysters, buy oysters that are kept on ice or in a special aquarium. Take a close look at the oyster shell. It must be tightly closed, free from damage or cracks. If there is even a small gap between the valves, it is dangerous to eat a mollusk. Smell the oyster — it should subtly smell like seaweed.
How to Open Oysters at Home?
Since the oyster knife and glove are not cheap, they are only worth buying if you eat shellfish daily. Indeed, at home, an oyster can be opened without special tools. And you will be surprised how easy it is!
To open oysters at home, wash the oysters thoroughly and place them on a dish. Sprinkle them with lemon juice, paying particular attention to the places where shells meet. Wait a few minutes. During this time, the acid will penetrate the shell, and it will open. Done!
How to Eat Oysters at Home?
In the restaurant, oysters are served on a flat platter with plenty of crushed ice to keep them fresh. The oysters are served with lemon. Lemon juice must be squeezed into each shell to eliminate the sea taste and aroma and make the snack fresher and more savory. The waiter can add vinegar, wine essence, tabasco sauce or other dressings, crackers or bread and butter to the table.
But what about tasting oysters at home? How to eat oysters at home? Oysters at home can be served on a round dish, in the center of which you can add vinegar, lemon wedges and a special sauce. The sauce can be almost anything: sour, spicy, sweetish, based on olive oil, soy sauce or Tobasco sauce, etc. Sometimes croutons and butter are added to the dish.
When you squeeze the lemon juice into the shell, the body of the oyster will begin to shrink slightly, which is a great sign that it is alive. Find a special fork or a small spoon among the appliances. Take the shell of the shell in one hand, a fork or spoon in the other, gently remove oyster meat and enjoy this exquisite delicacy.
When you “drink” an oyster, take a bite of fresh bread with butter and take a sip of chilled wine or champagne, you will definitely feel like a real aristocrat. Such sensations are simply necessary for an interesting and positive experience because it is so wonderful to live with taste and enjoy every moment.
You can also just silently suck the oyster off the narrow edge of the shell and sip on the juice. Do not swallow the oyster right away, but experience its excellent taste and aroma. Drink chilled champagne, white wine or even beer with oysters.
According to the recommendations of the overwhelming majority of sommeliers, oysters are served with dry white wine or sparkling wine (champagne). The best drink for oysters is white dry wine. The wine should be without a pronounced sharp taste and without a too rich bouquet, slightly chilled (10-15 degrees).
You do not always need to eat raw oysters. Sometimes oysters can be baked right in the shells under a variety of sauces, grilled, fried, stewed, added to soups, salads and stews. Oyster is like a white canvas for chefs, on which you can “paint” anything you want, endlessly experimenting with tastes and aromas to the delight of gourmets.
Cooking Oysters
If you are going to cook oysters, you need to hold them over the steam for 20-30 seconds, which makes them easier to open. You can add salt, cream or butter. Parsley, dill and thyme go well with oysters. Spices such as ginger, anise and chili are also suitable. Raw oysters can be added to hot seafood paste will give the dish a pleasant silky elegance and salty sophistication. Oyster sauce plays a special role. Oysters with soy, garlic, ginger, sugar and leeks go very well together.
Fried oysters are wonderful with dill and lemon oil. Oyster meat can also be added to soup, stewed, baked or fried with vegetables, and even made into a hot sandwich in the microwave.
