Oysters on the Halfshell

Oysters on the half shell

Throughout history, oysters have been a part of the human diet due to their delicious flavors and the fact that gathering them is easier than hunting land animals.  Over time, more humans meant more fish and delectable sea creatures being eaten, which limited the bounty of all types of shellfish throughout the world.  To solve this problem from ancient times to the present, people began to bread and farm certain kinds of shellfish and to limit the harvesting of the others.  Breeding is the most effective with oysters and has been in practice since the fourth century B. C.  Basically, young oysters from wild beds are moved to more convenient sites, using pottery shards as resting places.

Oysters can be enjoyed two ways purely or elaborately.  The purists believe to eat your oysters straight from the sea and drink the briny juices from the shells.  Adding a bit of vinegar, pepper, lemon juice or freshly grated horseradish adds a nice zing to these fresh sea creatures.   The elaborators marry the fresh juicy flesh of the oyster with a host of other ingredients chosen to enrich or complement it.  Some classic oyster dishes incorporate cream, white wine, aromatic vegetables, ginger, and scallions.  No matter what the ingredients, the most noticeable element must be the sweet taste and delicate texture of the shellfish itself.

Oysters live in shallow water along temperate and tropical coasts.  Their tender, briny flesh is edible all year but usually tastes best from September through April.

However, oysters can be tricky little devils due to the fact they can be difficult to open.

Here are a few tips on how to shuck an oyster:

1. Opening:  Hold the oyster in a heavy cloth, flatter shell upward.  Insert the tip of an oyster knife into the hinge and twist it to open the shells.
2. Severing the muscle:  Slide the knife along the inside of the upper shell to cut the muscle that attaches it to the flesh.  Pull off and discard the upper shell.
3. Cutting the oyster loose:  Slide the knife under the oyster to free it from the lower shell.  Remove any bits of broken shell with the point of the knife.
4. Serve and Eat: Garnish with whatever you choose and enjoy!

Many shellfish provide a bonus for baking: their shells can be used as ovenproof cooking and serving vessels.  A simple preparation for baked oysters follows:

1. Prepare your oysters:  scrub live oysters with a vegetable brush under cold running water.  Spread a layer of coarse salt 1 inch deep in a baking pan; set the pain in a preheated 450-degree oven and heat for 5 minutes.  Set the oysters flat side up in the hot salt.
2. Serving:  bake the oysters for 8-10 minutes, until the shells open.  Use a cloth and an oyster knife, open each shell completely, cut the meat loose and remove the top shell.  Serve the oysters on their half shells, garnished, with lemon and chopped parsley.

For more complex blend of flavors, you can bake opened oysters on their half shells.  Cover the oyster flesh with butter, oil or bacon and a mixture of breadcrumbs, chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers and spinach.

Although oysters have mainly been enjoyed on the coastal cities due to the easy accessibility of the delicious sea creatures, today oyster are delivered daily packed on ice shipped directly from Boston to Catch 35 in Chicago and downtown Naperville.  Catch 35 offers these fresh and flavorful oysters served raw on the half shell with a trio of fresh and fragrant sauces:  mignonette, cocktail, and ginger chili sambal.  Located in Chicago’s theater district and just blocks from Naperville’s river walk, you can experience the fresh seafood from the coastal waters of the U.S. at Catch 35, your seafood and premium steak destination.  See you soon!