Mambafeller Oysters

[White Mamba]

Normally I like cold water Oysters on the half shell- if I crack it open it normally doesn't make it to the plate unless I want to add a little Champagne Mignonette first. But now and again, one needs to reach a little further, and this was so good, it will make me think twice before slurping them down raw.

Oysters featured are local Choptank Salts from Maryland's Eastern Shore. I made a tarragon butter with a little hot sauce and garlic, opened the oysters and put a pat of butter in each. Put on the lower grill over a hot fire and cooked for about 5 minutes, letting the flames caress them as the butter spilled over here and there, flaring a bit. Then added some fresh grated aged Parmigiano Reggianno to the mix for a minute or so.

Freakin' shellfish nirvana ensued.

[cruzmisl]

I LOVE oysters but hate opening them. Those look delicious.

[T Rex]

Hey WM, nice to see you back posting, those oysters look fantastic....

T Rex

[Porkchop]

somebody needs to explain the allure...

of eating oysters raw. i LOVE those little steamer clams or whole, fried clams and oysters, chowders of either or both, whatever. in fact, surf and turf SHOULD mean a beautiful steak and a plate fulla fried oysters.

do you chew the raw oysters up when you eat them? so many folks i see eatin them look like they just swallow them. what's the point? if you chew them up raw, how does the flavor compare to fried or steamed?

that being said, the above application makes me drool! oysters braised in compound butter in their own shells??? irony always makes food taste better...

[cruzmisl]

Its the briny seawater taste which I like. I chew them. I think people that swallow them whole have difficulty with the "gelatinous texture". I eat sashimi and love carpaccio and tartare too. If your not a raw food guy then it may not be for you.

[Loquitur]

The only time I ever had raw oysters was at a family reunion last summer. They were very fresh as one of my cousins picked them up from the docks - Blue Point Oysters from Long Island - and the oyster lovers, including my husband, were raving about them. So I tuned myself up with a couple of cocktails, had lots of boisterous encouragement and let them rip, swallowing them whole. They slid down easily and I actually enjoyed how they tasted like the essence of the ocean. But, I must admit, the thought of having them again makes me a little queasy, though I'm not ruling it out. Mambafella oysters?? That's a different story entirely. I would have them anytime!!

Susan

[T Rex]

I can pick Oysters within a couple of miles of home until my arms drop off..... and still enjoy them every time Mrs. T Rex and I do them. What is interesting is that we do pretty much what WM does, some times with variation on cooking methods, but basically the same seasonings.

I don't know if many you realize but you can freeze fresh Oysters and cook them at a later date, much the way you would fresh. Put them on the BBQ, when the shell opens remove the top shell, and tweek them like WM................. delicious!

T Rex

ps they also do well in the oven or microwave

[rorkin]

Do them here in winter when they are fresh and can be bought by the bushel.. My avatar is a skipjack.. The traditional sailing vessel used to harvest oysters on the Chesapeake Bay.

[White Mamba]

Yea, I grew up in Annapolis eating oysters out of the bay. At family gatherings we would just have a bushel on the deck and it was simply a matter of who was shucking. At this time of year I only eat cold water oysters raw, but the Choptanks were decent size and I figured correctly that they would be perfect for my application. Not many skipjacks left- very cool sight to see one working with the spinnaker out. I haven't seen one in a long time. Are there any left still working commercially?

[rorkin]

There are a couple.. the picture is of the Rebeca Ruark which is now sailed as a tourist boat in the summers . It was dredging in the winter up until a year or 2 ago. The captain is getting too old for that. She is the oldest surviving skipjack. State is trying to take over the remaining oyster beds. THe Choptanks are actually commercially farmed.

[mguerra]

slide to Communism

That's what we need, the government seizing and controlling natural resources. The egghead ruling class are bound to manage the oysters better than those whose lives depend on them. Right.

[rorkin]

The oysters are in such decline the state figured it had to step in before they were actually extinct. Nothing done so far has stopped that decline. A

moratorium on harvesting female crabs has led to a major rebound in that population and the thinking is that perhaps a similar action will help the oysters.. Only problem is that it will probably put the traditional waterman out of business. Not a popular move around here

[White Mamba]

Unfortunately something has to be done before they are all gone. I feel for the watermen, but if all the oysters are gone, the result is the same for them- in fact even worse as a moratorium would only be until the population comes back. It has worked for the Blue Crab, so hopefully they can get something figured out.

[tony b]

Re: Mambafeller Oysters

All I can say is one word - DRAGO's!

[5698k]

Re: Mambafeller Oysters

Tony B! I was just about to say the same thing!!!

For those who haven't heard of Drago's, google it, it's in New Orleans, and look for their char grilled oyster recipe. If done right, it's truly a great oyster!!

[tony b]

Re: Mambafeller Oysters

Check it out

They are awesome, as the title of the show says - The Best Thing That I Ever Ate!

[LarryR]

Re: Mambafeller Oysters

Yep, had them at their location in New Orleans, very good.

[5698k]

Re: Mambafeller Oysters

The Drago's recipe is on stevemurphy4's post in the seafood area of this forum.