Oysters

[Napoleon54]

I'm talkin' raw ones. Anyone a fan?

A friend of mine is pretty serious about them so we're going to go have some sometime this week. I've never had them but they sound appealing. Seems like an acquired taste, and the people who have it are really passionate about them. I understand it's kind of a chugging thing... whole oyster goes straight down the hatch without it lingering, chewing, etc?

[InfiniteNothing]

Oysters can contain harmful bacteria. Oysters are filter feeders and will naturally concentrate anything present in the surrounding water. Oysters from the Gulf Coast of the United States, for example, contain high bacterial loads of human pathogens in the warm months, most notably Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In these cases, the main danger is for immuno-compromised individuals, who are unable to fight off infection and can succumb to septicemia, leading to death. Vibrio vulnificus is the most deadly seafood-borne pathogen, with a higher case-to-death ratio than even Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli.
Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster)
Too scary

[dbax791]

I'm talkin' raw ones. Anyone a fan?

A friend of mine is pretty serious about them so we're going to go have some sometime this week. I've never had them but they sound appealing. Seems like an acquired taste, and the people who have it are really passionate about them. I understand it's kind of a chugging thing... whole oyster goes straight down the hatch without it lingering, chewing, etc?

No that is not true. You can chew oysters and enjoy the taste. There are "oyster shooters" sometimes but I don't understand the appeal.

They should be served very cold with lemon wedges and seafood cocktail sauce (like you dip shrimp in). Drip a few drops of lemon and lightly brush with cocktail sauce and they are awesome.

The best oysters I have ever had is in Las Vegas, in the 777 restaurant in the Main St. Station casino.

The people that don't like oysters will complain that they are too slimy, and if you get a bad batch can sometimes give the feeling of chewing sand. Good oysters are fantastic.

[Jeffbx]

Tried them several times - just don't understand the appeal.

[Napoleon54]

Tried them several times - just don't understand the appeal.
Seriously!

Highly anti-climactic! I've had oysters baked, smoked, a bunch of different ways but never raw like this. I was expecting something pungent, fishy, etc. Didn't taste like hardly anything, just a little wad of snot! One kind had an overbearing cucumber aftertaste but that was about it. I chewed them a bit, then tried adding the sauce stuff and a hit of horseradish plus chewing a bit, still not much of anything at all. We each had about a dozen of them, with 2 drinks each, and it cost about a hundred bucks. I don't get it, seems way over rated. I coulda gotten a wicked nice bottle of scotch that woulda lasted for months!

I dunno though, maybe my erroneous expectations threw the whole thing off. Maybe I gotta try them again. We'll see.

[DarkFury]

Honestly, I can't see the appeal of oysters either.

I'd rather have a nice piece of fried fish, shrimp or some crab cakes :lick:

[Napoleon54]

Coincidentally, I picked up an oyster stout (yes, beer) the other day. Came home and drank that sucker to complete the oyster experience. Really really friggin' bizarre but extremely interesting.

http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/index.cfm?cdid=142531&pid=28476

[cheapie]

love them!

[kimchicowboy]

They should be served very cold with lemon wedges and seafood cocktail sauce (like you dip shrimp in). Drip a few drops of lemon and lightly brush with cocktail sauce and they are awesome.

don't forget the tabasco! yum!

[Jeffbx]

They seem to be nothing more than a vehicle for the condiments - once you add hot sauce, cocktail sauce, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chocolate sauce, whatever, how do you even know what you're eating?

I had octopus in Tokyo once that I enjoyed much more - it also had barely any flavor so you really just tasted whatever you were dipping it in, but at least the texture was much more palatable.

[attgig]

really good. best oysters I've ever had were ones I got straight out of the oyster farm place in pt reyes above SF with a buddy. it was really really tasty eating them that fresh.

[tupacboy]

i love oysters... there's a oyster bar down the street here... thy bring dif oysters from all over...

[Jcranmer]

If you can find really good fresh ones they can be great. However it seems like more often then not I end up with the sandy / gritty / plain nasty version. Of course being located in Southern Indiana may have a lot to do with that. I suspect if I was in a coastal city I would have a much better time of it.

[Napoleon54]

Seems to be a lot of oyster lovin' going around.

What exactly do you get from them? Can you elaborate on what makes them so great?

[RoniMan]

Seems to be a lot of oyster lovin' going around.

What exactly do you get from them? Can you elaborate on what makes them so great?

Just out of curiousity, do you like sashimi?

[Napoleon54]

Just out of curiousity, do you like sashimi?
Absolutely! I love the mild and subtle flavors of sashimi, I see some of that in oysters but not much. Sashimi always has unique texture, depending on the type of fish, and that's very much a part of it. Oysters lack texture entirely and they're all the same in that regard.

Hmm, maybe that's it... texture. I think the texture of sashimi is more important to me than the flavor. It's not a bad thing that oysters are slimy or phlegmy per se, I don't mind it. It's that they lack a texture that's more interesting, they're like a blank slate from a texture point of view. You get a little piece of shell or sand and that's all you feel. If you don't get a little piece of shell or sand, then you don't feel anything.

[whitney0125]

Uhm.. Oysters are so delicious. Anyway have you tried to grill the oysters? Try to grill it guys its so yummy too.. I know you will love it as i do.