Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with oysters

Gulp!

Mender — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:14:15 -0800

Where to eat raw oysters (and other food challenges) in New York City this Friday night? It's my birthday Friday night and I'd like to eat something I've never eaten before. I was thinking of raw oysters? I will have somewhere between 6 and 10 people with me, around 10 or 11pm. Do you know and love a place with a delicious, not-too-expensive raw bar in NYC? Downtown Manhattan is ideal but anywhere in Manhattan or Brooklyn is possible.

Alternately, suggest another food challenge anywhere in the five boroughs! Although I don't have much experience with raw shellfish I am generally an ambitious eater and welcome any food adventures (whole pig? sea urchin?) that can be had for a reasonable price.

I should probably stop impulse-based food shopping.

A Terrible Llama — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:58:11 -0800

What do I do about the five oysters I can't open? I opened five out of ten with absolutely no grace at all. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos, they all feature some cheerful guy in a t-shirt popping oysters open with the ease of somebody cracking an egg. It's quite annoying. I know to find the hinge and where to put the oyster knife, but in all the videos the guy just slides it in there, gives it a gentle twist, and the shell pops open. My kitchen, on the other hand, is covered in oyster shrapnel.

I did give them a few minutes rest in the freezer, it really didn't do much at all.

On the positive side, the five I ate were really good.

If anyone knows some awesome secret that appears no where else on the internet about some top secret way of opening an oyster, please share. It took me forever to open the ones I did open. I'm wondering if that 'just slip it in hinge and twist thing' is just a big lie spread by the oyster industry so I have to buy twice as many as I need because I won't be able to open half of them.

What do I do? If I can't open them, what can I do with them? Preferably an option that involves eating them.

What to do with extra oyster juice?

LMGM — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:18:28 -0800

After schucking a bunch of extra-large oysters, I have an extra-large cup of oyster liquor. What should I do with it? So I recently discovered that it is oyster season here in Paris and I can get tons of oysters for !@#$ing cheap. I bought a baker's dozen of Fines de Claires No. 2, which are big-ass oysters with a lot of tasty, tasty liquor. I was smart enough to shuck them over a bowl, so I managed to catch any of the liquor that I spilled during shucking. After eating all of the oysters and the juice that remained in their shells, I was left with a large bowl filled with oyster liquor. What should I do with this delicious salty substance? (the oyster liquor, that is, you fiilthy person)

After letting the grit settle to the bottom, I came up with two ideas:

1. tomato juice + oyster juice + vodka + hot sauce = bloody caesar, sorta.

2. use instead of stock to deglaze a pan of sautéed winter vegetables.

Both were great, but I still have about 500ml of the stuff to use. Any suggestions?

I say oysters and you say ersters...

TungstenChef — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:45:04 -0800

I'm visiting Portland this weekend and would love some food tourism suggestions. So far, my plan is to stuff myself to the gills (heh) with seafood. My sister-in-law lives in the area, and already has the following activities planned:
-winery tour
-tasting menu at a very nice restaurant (I don't remember the name unfortunately)

Other than wineries, are there any other types of food producers we should visit, like oyster beds for example? What local seafoods are in season right now? Any suggestions for hole-in-the-wall types of places where we can get some great seafood on a budget? Any secret places I should know about if I want to eat an obscene amount of oysters? Finally, we're driving to Eugene to catch our flight out on Sunday, is there anywhere along that route that's worth taking a few hours to check out?

Thanks!

Good oysters in Austin, TX?

the matching mole — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:44:59 -0800

Can I find good, interesting oysters in Austin, TX? I'm in Austin, Texas for training for a few days this week. And I could really go for a dozen Belons and a nice Sancerre (not that I've ever had either, but I have been reading a lot about oysters and wine lately).

Considering that Austin has a pretty happening food scene, what are the chances I can find good oysters here? Any recommendations?

Moving to Wilmington, NC

sara is disenchanted — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:28:56 -0800

We're moving to the beach! But, I would like a few specifics about life in Wilmington, NC. Hope me Wilmington Mefites! I was offered a career position with the City of Wilmington last week, and now my husband and I have three to four weeks to relocate from Winston-Salem, NC to Wilmington, NC.

I grew up on the Delmarva shore and my husband spent most of his summers and free time visiting the coast from Wilmington down to Myrtle, so we have a decent understanding of coastal living. We're even familiar with where we like to fish and eat and drink and visit when we're in the greater Wilmington area.

What we would love to have is information regarding "lifestyle and living" questions.
-What neighborhoods are best for a married couple (who does not plan on expanding the family any time soon) that earns combined $60K? We're going to live in an apartment from 6 months to a year just to become oriented and save some money, but we would like to purchase a single-family house in the future.
-Any recommendations as far as apartment/condo complexes that are safe, comfortable, and dog-friendly? Any to avoid?
-Does anyone have a suggestion for veterinarians and/or doggie daycare? My schedule is so that we would only need to take the Rocky dog to daycare up to 3x per week. He's 5 years old, healthy, and blind (he gets around just fine, but sometimes we think we should buy him a little helmet!).
-What is traffic like on a regular basis? Is this a bicycle-friendly area (i.e., will I have trouble riding my road bike to work?)?
-What tasty vegetables and fruits can I grow in my garden?
-Best tackle/fishing shops in the area?
-Safe running trails and areas? Good mountain bike trails? Or will I be riding my road bike more with the terrain?
-We're both interested in hopefully joining an adult sport league (he's looking for flag or contact football, I'm more interested in ultimate, soccer, or tennis), and I've found some interesting leads, but do you have any clubs/teams you'd specifically endorse?
-Is there anything that you wish you would have known before you made the move to Wilmington?

Thank you in advance...this totally might be an excuse for a meetup.

Why are pirates allowed to eat oysters all year round?

Telf — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:34:07 -0800

Is it ok to eat oysters in months NOT ending with an "R"? It's the summer and I can't think of anything I'd rather do than sit around and eat some oysters while drinking beer. A few of my friends have scoffed at the idea of eating oysters during the summer. Apparently it's absolutely heretical.

Is there an authoritative verdict on this? Most sources I've looked at state that this whole "months ending in R edict" is pure folklore. Some people have countered, claiming that the oysters don't taste as good because it's mating season.

I've read conflicting things on the internet. I'd like an unequivocal statement to end the argument and hopefully convince my friends to have an oyster and beer party.

Oysters in a can, alas

Listener — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:18:22 -0800

Know any good ways to prepare canned oysters? They're good for health and convenient to keep on hand, so I want to eat them sometimes. Only question is how to make them delicious, if possible.

Shucks, here's another one!

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 20:23:27 -0800

How likely is it that you'll find pearls in restaurant oysters? Friends recently found several pearls in BC oysters they were eating in a restaurant. I've found a few in years past. I suppose they're worthless, but what are the odds?

Can anyone recommend markets in NYC to buy fresh oysters?

clubfoote — Mon, 17 Jan 2005 17:24:14 -0800

Shellfish Filter: So I've recently discovered that I love Oysters. I don't know much about them other than the ones I've had at Doc's and Pearl (NYC oyster bars) I loved. Can anyone recommend markets in NYC to buy them,what types are the best? Favorite recipes/cookbooks? I've just bought the one from Pearl.