# Fresh Oysters



## Roll_Bones (Mar 10, 2015)

I bought a half box of fresh in shell oysters from a shop we found not to far from us.  Their only open Thurs-Sat.
When I got home, I noticed most all of the oysters were stuck together. Like in clusters. Lots of barnacles too.  Very muddy also.  There were only a handful of pretty ones.
Looking around some on the internet, it seems we got SC cluster oysters though the store claimed they were from Virginia.
Needless to say, they were difficult to use for raw on half shell.

Is this how all oysters come?  Or do they come separated like I get when I'm in the restaurant?
Do they separate them in the restaurant or are they getting a better product than I got?
I plan to go back next Thurs as it will be their first day open and ask them. I will also inspect them before buying them.
Maybe I got what was left as I came in on the last day they were open?

They were good, but hard to deal with and little meat.


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## jennyema (Mar 10, 2015)

This is the only way I've seen them look fresh.  But they are New England oysters


Skip to 2:00 if you want

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m32onPAzlI4


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## medtran49 (Mar 10, 2015)

The ones I got Craig for his birthday were a mix of west and east coast oysters.  They were all separate.  The ones we see in the wholesale restaurant supply place are all separate.


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## CraigC (Mar 10, 2015)

Roll_Bones said:


> I bought a half box of fresh in shell oysters from a shop we found not to far from us.  Their only open Thurs-Sat.
> When I got home, I noticed most all of the oysters were stuck together. Like in clusters. Lots of barnacles too.  Very muddy also.  There were only a handful of pretty ones.
> Looking around some on the internet, it seems we got SC cluster oysters though the store claimed they were from Virginia.
> Needless to say, they were difficult to use for raw on half shell.
> ...



If the price was lower than the labor intensive, clean, individual ones, that is what you paid for.


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## Roll_Bones (Mar 11, 2015)

CraigC said:


> If the price was lower than the labor intensive, clean, individual ones, that is what you paid for.



$57 for a whole box. 80-100
$27 for half box.

I guess i got what I paid for?
When I go back on Thursday, I will look at them before buying them.


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## Mad Cook (Mar 11, 2015)

Roll_Bones said:


> I bought a half box of fresh in shell oysters from a shop we found not to far from us. Their only open Thurs-Sat.
> When I got home, I noticed most all of the oysters were stuck together. Like in clusters. Lots of barnacles too. Very muddy also. There were only a handful of pretty ones.
> Looking around some on the internet, it seems we got SC cluster oysters though the store claimed they were from Virginia.
> Needless to say, they were difficult to use for raw on half shell.
> ...


The ones we see here on  the fishmonger's slab are separate. When I was a student by the Menai Straits (North Wales) many moons ago, there was an oyster "farm" and they grew on poles set in the sea, rather like mussels are/were raised in captivity.  

Only had mussels once. In France. Loved the taste but they made me ill. Five of us shared a platter of them and I was the only one who got caught so either I was unlucky and got the one bad one or I'm allergic to them.


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## Addie (Mar 12, 2015)

Roll_Bones said:


> I bought a half box of fresh in shell oysters from a shop we found not to far from us.  Their only open Thurs-Sat.
> When I got home, I noticed most all of the oysters were stuck together. Like in clusters. Lots of barnacles too.  Very muddy also.  There were only a handful of pretty ones.
> Looking around some on the internet, it seems we got SC cluster oysters though the store claimed they were from Virginia.
> Needless to say, they were difficult to use for raw on half shell.
> ...



Yuh, we get them a lot in New England. You break one off from another and then open them. That is how oysters grow. They cling together starting from the very beginning.


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## Roll_Bones (Mar 12, 2015)

Addie said:


> Yuh, we get them a lot in New England. You break one off from another and then open them. That is how oysters grow. They cling together starting from the very beginning.



Yes, Addie that's how I had to do it. I had to use a screw driver and a mallet to separate them. They were all over the place as far as size and shape.
Could not separate all of them, so I did those on the grill.

I bought these to eat raw. And when I got tired of the raw, I was going to make Oysters Rockefeller.
I was easily able to eat every single one and thinking about price I could have went out to eat and got plumper and more consistent size oysters.
I mean it seems I am better off going out to eat than messing with these cluster oysters.
Once on Bizarre Foods, Zimern went to a raw bar on the coast of SC.
They had big tables with a hole in the middle for shells.  They were serving cluster oysters there and they were cooked on a big steel plate.
These must be what I got. I expected better.


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## Addie (Mar 12, 2015)

Roll_Bones said:


> Yes, Addie that's how I had to do it. I had to use a screw driver and a mallet to separate them. They were all over the place as far as size and shape.
> Could not separate all of them, so I did those on the grill.
> 
> I bought these to eat raw. And when I got tired of the raw, I was going to make Oysters Rockefeller.
> ...



Now you know the next time you will look at them first. But expect to pay more for those that are separate. We have a VERY OLD restaurant here in Boston called "The Oyster House". They have an oyster bar right at the front window. Folks stand outside and watch the man open them in a flash. Before you can say, "I would like a dozen",  they are sitting in front of you. 

We have folks here that have oyster farms. The oyster seeds are placed on nets and as they grow they often become clustered. If they are attentive to their job, they can break up those cluster when they first start. They move a lot of them to a new net that is empty and give them room to grow.


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## Addie (Mar 12, 2015)

The next time use a chisel to separate the cluster. It works better.


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## salt and pepper (Mar 13, 2015)

I try not to bye oysters from Southern waters, just from the cold waters in the north. Thats just my preference. Not that there is anything wrong with southern oysters.


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## Addie (Mar 22, 2015)

Brew23 said:


> Good idea



It is just common sense. Screwdrivers do not have a sharp blade. A chisel does. And the blade on a chisel is a lot wider.


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## Roll_Bones (Mar 23, 2015)

salt and pepper said:


> I try not to bye oysters from Southern waters, just from the cold waters in the north. Thats just my preference. Not that there is anything wrong with southern oysters.



The very best oysters I have ever eaten were from Louisiana and Texas waters.
At least thats what I was told.  Since I did not harvest them how would i know anyway.
I noticed the clams and mussels at Costco have a little tag attached to the mesh bag telling you harvest date and where they were harvested.
I was shocked to see Florida Keys as the origination of the clams while the mussels were from Canada. Both farm raised.


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## Addie (Mar 24, 2015)

Roll_Bones said:


> The very best oysters I have ever eaten were from Louisiana and Texas waters.
> At least thats what I was told.  Since I did not harvest them how would i know anyway.
> I noticed the clams and mussels at Costco have a little tag attached to the mesh bag telling you harvest date and where they were harvested.
> I was shocked to see Florida Keys as the origination of the clams while the mussels were from Canada. Both farm raised.



In the US, according to USDA rules, all shellfish such as clams, mussels, etc. have to have that tag. If someone becomes sick from them, they can track back to where they are from. Were they harvested in contaminated waters. or did it happen in the handling of them, etc. 

A year or so ago, we had a very active clam bed out near the airport that was so badly contaminated with an accidental spill of jet fuel, that the bed will never recover.


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