Eating oysters and a simple way to cook them

Not everyone likes oysters. I adore them. A lot of people behave strangely when eating oysters. First they pour lemon and various condiments on the oyster to mitigate the oyster flavor. Then with a glass of wine ready in one of their hands, they take the oyster shell in the other hand, put it to their mouths, tilt the shell and quickly swallow the oyster and instantly wash it down with the wine. It is a bit like blowing ones noose backwards. Normally, I put nothing on my oysters and I chew them. I chew them thoroughly and savor the flavors of oyster that develop on the palate. The quality of an oyster is like with any food partly determined by its flavor; the length and complexity. I only drink the wine I have with my oysters when the flavors start to fade after each oyster.

There is great variation of flavors in different oysters. There are different species of oysters. There are small and large. There are cultivated and wild oysters, although in Europe the wild ones tend to be rare.  Then there are oysters from cold waters and oysters from warmer waters. Everyone has their favorites.  I like all kinds of oysters although I often look for horse feet, pied-de-cheval, as the French say, which are large old oysters that can be 10-25 years old and weigh more than a kilo. I will go into the differences between different oysters in detail some other time.

When buying oysters it is important to make sure they are alive and well. First look on the date of the shipment. There should be a tag on the box. Then check each oyster. They need to be closed and full of liquid. Easiest way to check this is to take one oyster and use it to knock on the “lid” of each of the other oysters. If the sound is hollow, the oyster is dead, dry or on its way to pass out.

For those who prefer warm oysters and who find opening oysters a tedious process, there is a neat solution. You cook them in their shells without opening them. They oysters will come out beautifully presented in their shells. Simply put them in a pot of water and poach them at 60 degrees centigrade until they start to show signs of opening, but not longer. They should have a wobbly texture. A good advice is to start the poaching at 65-68 degrees centigrade and let the temperature cool when the oysters are put into the pot. When ready, open them with a sharp knife and cut the muscle that holds the oyster to the shell on both sides.

A good pairing is an emulsion made as follows:

0,5 dl vegetable jus (somewhat reduced cooked on celery and leeks)

50 grams of melted butter

White wine vinegar (I have a soft spot for Banuyls vinegar so I pick the white version)

Salt and black pepper for seasoning

Half a gelatin sheet – soaked

Heat the vegetable jus and add the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin melts. Put in a hand mixer bowl. Add the butter, which should be warm but not hot. Add one table spoon of vinegar to start with. Mix with a hand mixer until fully emulsified. Add vinegar if needed. Season with salt and black pepper. Pour over the oysters when they are ready. I have also added shavings of dried reindeer meat. The salt beds are done with sea salt and egg whites. The emulsion can be of course be spiced to anyone’s liking.