oysters

Starters

In culling through my collection of Bon Appetit magazines, I came across the article by Andrew Knowlton, which is worth reading.

How to Buy: The road to oyster perfection starts at the market. When selecting your oysters, look for these things: they should be weighty (the seawater inside helps them stay fresh), they should smell like nothing, they should be tightly sealed, and when you crack two of them together, they should sound like rocks.

How to Store: Still in their netted bag (or something breathable), put the oysters in your crisper drawer with one wet cloth below and one wet cloth above the bundle. Despite what many people think, you should not store them on ice--"their instinct is to drink water," says Bil. "As the ice melts, and they drink that chlorinated water, it will affect their flavor." In the crisper, west coast oysters will be good for one week, and east coast oysters will be good for two weeks.

One of my favorite toppings is Nobu Masuhisa's recipe for mignonette;


1/2 cup (60 g) finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/4 teaspoon chili oil
1/4 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/2 cup (10 g) finely chopped parsley leaves

Combine all ingredients, add chopped parsley leaves before serving.

Andrew Knowlton also recommends Taylor shellfish's Shigoku oysters.   My personal favorites are

Hammersley(Shelton), Kumamoto and Hama hama (Lilliwaup)oysters from Washington. 

Also can't miss the 2014 Hama Hama oyster rama usually held in May, mark your calendars and check out latest info on:
hamahamaoyster.com.