Food → What's Cooking? →
Our World Is an Oyster
History, a field guide, recipes to celebrate our favorite bivalve
by Annie B. Copps
Whether we are drawn to oysters for their supposed powers as an aphrodisiac or for their salty, creamy sweetness, they are part and parcel to the New England experience and our love for our beautiful, if rugged, coastline.
Oysters have been consumed as a foodstuff from prehistoric times, through the Greek and Roman empires, to the present day, when they appear everywhere from fine-dining establishments to simple roadside beach shacks and raw bars at weddings. The oldest continuously operated restaurant in America, the Union Oyster House in Boston, has been serving them since 1826. We thought it was high time to take a moment and salute one of our favorite ingredients.
Oysters are named for the locations where they are grown and are a point of pride for our many coastal towns. Anyone from Wellfleet, Massachusetts, will tell you that their oysters are far better than those from Damariscotta, Maine. We'd be hard-pressed to find flaws in either. The cold waters of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut are perfect growing areas for the Crassostrea virginica, or eastern oyster. Each bay, harbor, and estuary where oysters grow has a different mix of minerals and plankton (on which oysters feed), as well as salt levels, giving the same species of oysters markedly different flavors, textures, and colors despite being raised within miles of each other.
Nature Flips a Switch
Eastern oysters begin life as males; however, depending on the season and the needs of a particular oyster bed, some oysters will become female and produce eggs. There is no way to distinguish male oysters from females by examining their outer shells -- and most folks can't tell by looking at their insides either.
The Food of Love?
It could be the power of suggestion: Once a food is labeled an aphrodisiac, it seems to work. Myth or not, oysters have long been considered a food of love. As far back as the 1700s, the great womanizer Giacomo Casanova is said to have consumed up to four or five dozen oysters a day to keep him "fit" for his many escapades. Oysters are high in protein and full of nutrients. They’re especially high in zinc, which helps to regulate testosterone and progesterone levels. This in turn helps maintain the libido in both men and women.
The Thing About R
Folklore says that oysters should be eaten only in months with an r in them, but science has shown that oysters may be eaten safely 12 months a year. Warm-weather months sans the r (May, June, July, and August) are spawning time for most oysters. During that time, oysters are often softer in texture and watery in taste, but they are delicious and readily available.
The Raw and the Cooked
When considering the oyster -- despite how delicious they are fried, stuffed, roasted, baked, steamed, Rockefellered, and even raw -- we still wonder, who ate the first one? Whoever it was and however it happened, we are glad it did. Following are a few of our favorite oyster recipes from local chefs.
A Field Guide to New England Oysters
Oysters are all about the place from which they hail. Following is a sampler of delectable oysters grown in the chilly waters of coastal New England. All are eastern oysters, but each type boasts a distinctive taste peculiar to the salty cove, plankton-rich bay, or brackish river where they are grown.
Bagaduce (Maine): Deep cups, with a fruity, almost berry-like finish. The Indian name means "fast water."
Barnstable (Massachusetts): White to brown in coloring, with medium cups and light and clean brininess; somewhat sweet.
Cotuit (Massachusetts): Medium to large size; silky-smooth meat, with a clean and lingering ocean essence.
Glidden Point (Maine): Big boys from the Damariscotta River, with a slightly briny, crisp, and clean ocean flavor.
Island Creek (Massachusetts): Large shells with small meat; sweet and slightly nutty in flavor.
Moonstone (Rhode Island): Often power washed to produce pearl-white shells; silky-smooth meat with a full-bodied, rich saltiness.
Pemaquid (Maine): Very plump, with a crisp, cold-water richness.
Stonington (Connecticut): Deep cups filled with plump meats; mild saltiness and a sweet finish.
Ninigret (Rhode Island): Medium size, with a creamy, nutlike taste at first and a clean, briny finish.
Wellfleet (Massachusetts): Wild samples vary from very good to excellent; deep cups brimming with strong brininess and a sweet seaweed flavor. Farmed Wellfleets are also consistently good, with a similar sweet and briny taste and a coppery finish.
With thanks to chef Gregg Reeves, B&G Oysters, Ltd., 550 Tremont St., Boston, MA; 617-423-0550. bandgoysters.com
New England Oyster Festivals
Held at Veterans Memorial Park, thousands gather each year to enjoy oysters and give a nod to Norwalk, Connecticut's coastal history at the annual Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival. The bivalve fun includes the Kids Cove, packed with storytellers, clowns, and maritime education booths, as well as live entertainment and all the oysters you can eat. seaport.org
More than 10,000 oysters are expected to be shucked at the Pemaquid Oyster Festival, at Schooner Landing in Damariscotta, Maine. Activities include live entertainment, boat rides, and, of course, eating lots of succulent seafood. damariscottaregion.com
The weekend after Columbus Day, Wellfleet, Massachusetts, opens its streets to revelers in search of local oysters and good fun. The Wellfleet OysterFest includes an extremely competitive two-day oyster-shucking contest, live music, a road race, a dog parade, and a dance. wellfleet oysterfest.org
More than 50,000 people will come and go at the annual Milford Oyster Festival, scheduled for August 2007 at Fowler Field and downtown in Milford, Connecticut. Festival activities include musical entertainment, harbor canoe and kayak racing, and a classic car show. milfordoysterfestival.org
They Sell Sea Shells
Eric Horne and Valy Steverlynck harvest their own particular type of oysters, hauling blue mesh bags of Flying Points from a seven-acre site on Maine's Cousins River. Seven years ago, they left lucrative fast-track careers in Boston to move to Freeport and get into the oyster business. They know the flavors of oysters differ depending on where they are harvested.
"The flavor of our Flying Point oysters is influenced by a strong tidal exchange," explains Eric. "On an incoming tide, they are nourished by cold, briny ocean water. On an outgoing tide, they feed on the nutrients produced in the vast marshes to the north of our site. The result is a complex flavor characterized by a hint of saltiness and a pronounced sweetness."
Maine's wild oyster population is small -- the chilly water discourages natural reproduction. But because this delicacy is in high demand, farm-raised oysters can be a lucrative product. The risks entailed, however, are enormous: A couple years' investment can disappear in a too-muddy bottom, be bulldozed off to sea by winter storms, or be eaten by starfish swarming in on currents. The Horne family works together, growing seed oysters in contraptions called upwellers -- floating 8-by-20-foot docks equipped with electric pumps that circulate water through silos. The family then relocates their baby oysters from upwellers in the Harraseeket and Royal Rivers to nurseries in Maquoit Bay, floating the shellfish in mesh bags near the water's surface and flipping them routinely in the summer sun. Finally, come late fall, the oysters make one more trip -- to "grow-out" sites on the New Meadows, Cousins, and Sheepscot Rivers, where they lie on the river bottoms and feed on algae. After another two to 2-1/2 years, they are fattened up to chef-worthy size.
"A lot of work, oyster farming," observes Peter, Eric's father, as he heaves planks and spreads ice over the precious cargo now loaded on his pickup truck, headed for market.
Oysters with Spinach and Lemon Sauce
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 12 pieces
- 12 oysters, scrubbed
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into eight pieces
- Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1⁄2 cup wilted spinach, finely chopped
Carefully shuck the oysters, reserving their liquor and bottom shell, and set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the heavy cream and lemon zest, then reduce until the cream has thickened, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, until fully incorporated. Whisk in the lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper.
Add oysters and their liquor to the sauce, then cook over a very low heat, until the edges of the oysters begin to curl. Using about 1 tablespoon spinach (depending on the size of the shell), make a small “bed” in the oyster shell, lay one oyster in the bed, and spoon a small amount of sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
Comments
Adapted from a recipe by chef Michael Leviton, Lumière, 1293 Washington St., West Newton, MA. 617-244-9199.
lumiererestaurant.com
Find Similar Recipes
- By Category
- By Course
- By Preparation Method
Oysters with Apple Cider Mignonette
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 12 pieces
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
- 1 tablespoon finely diced Granny Smith or other tart apple
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 12 oysters, freshly shucked
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cider, shallots, and apple and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and season with pepper. Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons over the freshly shucked oysters.
Comments
Adapted from a recipe by chef Larry Matthews Jr., The Back Bay Grill, 65 Portland St., Portland, ME. 207-772-8833.
backbaygrill.com
Reviews by Readers
I have made this mignonette for friends and family to accompany local Massachusetts oysters and recently found it to be especially enjoyable on a crisp Indian Summer autumn afternoon. This recipe was one of three different mignonettes we offered and was by far the most popular! – Reviewed by Marilyn Slattery
Find Similar Recipes
- By Category
- By Course
- By Preparation Method
Oyster Stew
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4
- 1 pint oysters in liquor (about 25 shucked oysters)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small leek, washed and finely diced
- 2 small stalks celery, finely diced
- 1-1⁄2 cups milk
- 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
- Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1-1⁄2 cups Fino or Amontillado sherry (optional)
- Garnish: 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- Common crackers, oyster crackers, or croutons
Strain the oysters and their liquor into separate containers and keep both refrigerated until ready to use.
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until foaming. Add the leek and celery and sauté until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes—do not brown. Stir in the milk, cream, and oyster liquor into the saucepan with the vegetables. Do not allow the liquid to boil. When the soup base is simmering, add the oysters and poach them until they begin to shrink and curl on the edges, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the stew into four bowls and add sherry (if desired) to each bowl. Garnish with chives and serve crackers on the side.
Find Similar Recipes
- By Category
- By Course
- By Preparation Method
Reader Comments
Registered users can add comments.
Registration is free, and just takes a moment.
Login or Register.