Misstropolis

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

The Time and Place for Oysters

by Annie Copps

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We are all hip to eating seasonally and locally, and oysters express time and place more profoundly than any other ingredient I can think of. Just about all of the oysters from our local waters are crassostrea virginica — size, shape, texture and flavor are all determined by their provenance, not the species. (Belon, or European, flat oysters are commercially grown in New England, but they are the exception and even their flavor is affected by the waters they are harvested from.) If you love Wellfleets, and I do, it is because of the tides, salinity of the water, temperature of that water, and the algae in the bay. Island Creeks from Duxbury, Moonstones from Rhode Island, Glidden Points from Maine and Stoningtons from Connecticut — I love ‘em all and they proudly articulate their home turf, or surf as it were, in varying degrees of size, brininess, creaminess and even sweetness.

This time of year the waters are cold and my favorite bi-valve, like me, has hunkered down and fattened up, getting ready for a summer of amorous behavior and warmer water fun. And speaking of amour, oysters have long been touted as an aphrodisiac, and there may be some truth to it. As far back as the 1700’s, the great womanizer Giacomo Casanova consumed up to five dozen oysters a day to keep him “fit” for his many escapades. Oysters are naturally high in zinc, which certainly has an effect on progesterone levels, which can trigger the libido in both men and women. There is also much said about the shape and texture of oysters, which if nothing else could “lead to the mood.” Either way oysters are high in protein, full of nutrients and low in calories.

My preference is shucked and served raw with a bracing mignonette sauce, but whatever your preference, get yourself to an oyster bar and get slurping.

Where to Get Them

Atlantic Fish Company, 761 Boylston St., Boston, 617-267-4000
B & G Oysters, 550 Tremont Street, Boston, 617-423-0550
Eastern Standard, 500 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, 617-532-9100
Gaslight, 560 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-422-0224
Great Bay, 500 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, 617-532-5300
KingFish Hall, 188 Faneuil Hall Market Pl., Boston, 617-523-8862
Legal SeaFoods, nearly three dozen locations on the Eastern Seaboard
Neptune Oyster, 63 Salem St., Boston, 617-742-3474
Summer Shack, locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Connecticut
Union Oyster House, 41 Unions St., Boston, 617-227-2750

Oysters with Mignonette Sauce
Serves 4 as an appetizer

3 tablespoons apple or champagne cider
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
freshly ground or cracked black pepper to taste
12 freshly shucked oysters

In a small bowl, combine ingredients.  Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons over freshly shucked oysters.

To shuck oysters:

1. Scrub the oysters well and rinse under cold water. Lay a thick kitchen towel on a frim surface. Place one oyster on top of towel, cup side down (the flatter side up). Place one hand on the oyster to keep it steady and flat. Insert an oyster knife into the “hinge” of the oyster (the “u” shaped place at the narrow end where the top and bottom shell meet).
2. Keeping the knife flat, push it into the oyster until the flat guard of the knife stops (you may have to use a slight rocking motion with the knife). Keep the oyster still and twist knife until the top shell “pops.” Remove the top shell by carefully scraping the oyster from it. Be careful to keep the liquid in the bottom shell and try not to cut the oyster meat. Discard the top shell.
3. Slide the knife under the exposed oyster meat to separate it from the bottom shell, again being careful not to lose the liquid or cut through the meat. Enjoy.