Now in my 64th year, I realize I’m not a fan of oysters. I’ve eaten them in different preparations - on the half-shell, fried, Rockefeller, BBQ’d, chowdered, shooters - and there’s no prep that really calls out to me. Son-in-law loves oysters just about any way, so the other day I fried some for the first time in years. Dipped in a basic batter, rolled in panko, and bathed in oil until GBD, these oysters were about the best I had ever had, but they were still decidedly meh. SIL loved them, but Spawn2 said the best part was the crunchy bits, not the oysters themselves, and Mrs ricepad said once every 5-10 years would be enough.
I don’t get the appeal. What am I missing? Or is this a ‘horses for courses’ thing?
I am a huge fan of raw oysters and a medium fan of cooked. I love the brininess and the slickness of them, the distinctions between varieties, and the ritual of eating them.
I’m with @small_h. I like them raw, but it’s been an evolving journey for me. For the longest time, I was with you and didn’t get the attraction to oysters - didn’t like the texture. Oysters are more often cooked in Chinese cooking and they were always meh, and they are also popular dried, which is a blech for me.
As I got older, I started appreciating raw seafood more - raw clams and sushi, and it was only then that I started giving oysters another chance. For a well-balanced, super briny oyster, I like it with the right sauce that balances out the saltiness. Otherwise, I still find many raw oysters just as a salty, mushy bite.
Ironically the one kind of cooked oysters I really enjoyed was in Miyajima, Japan when it was oyster season. They had simple grilled shell on oysters that were quite good. Briny and sweet. I do also love oyster sauce, so it’s not that I don’t like the taste of oysters.
I like Oysters a lot.
On the Half Shell, Scalloped, Oyster and Ham Dinner/Pie, Fried, Oyster Stew, Oyster Dressing, Grilled etc…
I guess growing up with them has something to do with it. I never had Ewww factor to deal with since they were always there.
Especially in cooked preparations they are very Umami/Glutamate rich and add a distinct (and delicious) flavor for me.
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot, cooking and eating in northwest England)
5
Yes. We don’t have to like things just because others do.
My most recent experience was at a local restaurant. The oyster, served raw on the shell, was from Carlingford Lough in the North of Ireland. It was dressed with rhubarb and preserved lemon - very sharp and just on the right side of “too sharp”.
I’ll eat oysters but never seek them out. They’re okay but I get what some people say about the texture when raw…snot like, and you can’t really chew it. Deep fried oysters can be okay and nice in a sandwich, but then they’re crunchy and fried.
My take on why oysters are considered special and desirable is the same logic of the Hangtown Fry….eggs, bacons and oysters were difficult to get and very rare in the sticks of California Gold Country circa 1849…so make something of those three items and charge a literal small fortune.
Oysters today are the only thing that can’t be mass produced in volume (famed yes) and are fragile and have a short shelf life.
In other words, oysters have a reputation as a luxury food…even if can feel like snot. There’s also the aphrodisiac claim…which seems made up and marketing to increase demand because, they still feel like snot. YMMV.
BarneyGrubble
(Fan of Beethoven and Latina singers)
7
Me too, but after being hit with a massive digestive problem after eating some in California, I only eat them at home; it really sucks to be that sick when travelling!
Oof. No doubt. I’ve gotten sick twice while traveling - once from a Caesar salad in Boston, and once from a seafood stew in Caracas. Both took a pretty long course of antibiotics to vanquish.
I’d comment on raw oysters only- Not all oysters are created equal. Medium and large size oysters especially, can be quite meh when eaten raw.
Also, freshness is key. If they are a week old, they can become quite meh.
If you eat the ultra fresh small ones like kumamoto and you don’t like it, it could just be that you and oysters don’t get along. No biggie. Just eat other stuff you enjoy.
My mom was a huge fan of oysters. At the seafood buffet at the AEC we’d occasionally go to, I was instructed to get her a plate of 3-4 (on top of the ones on her plate) bc she didn’t want to seem like a glutton. I never even tried a raw oyster until I was in my late teens / early 20s, and while I enjoyed the initial fresh flavor, the brininess in the finish inevitably made me gag.
I tried them on and off over 2 decades, not caring for them (only smoked out of the can, which my mom also loved) and finally found an oyster I really liked: at a xmas seafood buffet in the middle of Central PA. Go figger! Ever since that revelation, I’ve been a fan. Small, medium, as big as my palm like the XL Moonstone I once had at GCOB… 's all good.
I have a slight pref for west coast oysters. Those kumamotos are so sweet & creamy
My perfect lunch is a dozen or two raw oysters and an ice cold, dry AF martini.
Second best oysters I’ve had were at a now defunct Thai place in Berlin that smoke-grilled them and served them with nam jim jaew.
Third best: char-grilled oysters from Felix’s in NOLA. I could eat those almost every day
My husband loves raw oysters and I’ll sometimes eat one or two. But there’s always the thought in the back of my mind that one might be bad. I know, I know. Once in a lifetime chance I suppose. I like fried oysters, Rockefeller, Bienville and something I haven’t had in years, oyster stuffing that my mother’s friend use to give us at Xmas time. So good.
My introduction to raw oyster was at an oyster bar in Las Vegas. We thought we had ordered deep fried, which we loved, but when they arrived they were raw. We looked at each other and said “what the hell” and dove in. They were great, made me a convert. Best oysters I ever had were at Bouchon in Las Vegas, tiny and briny, the only way I like the now.
Thanks for all your inputs. I think I’ll just leave the oysters to those of you that really love them. I’ll continue to eat them if somebody else is paying for them, but that’s probably as far as I’ll go, much like balut.
