Today, the scientific world knows a little more than 50 varieties of oysters. Not all of them can be eaten, but more on that later. First, let’s figure out what kind of animal the oyster is. Many people mistakenly believe that oysters are the same as mussels, only slightly larger. MirSovetov will destroy this ridiculous myth.
Oysters belong to the bivalve family, living mainly in warm and clean waters. Several species, on the contrary, were found only in cold seas northern regions. Oysters are amazing and unpredictable creatures. They can live in huge colonies of several million individuals or quietly while away their lives alone. Oysters like different depths. Sometimes they can be found at the very surface of the water, and sometimes scuba divers found colonies at a depth of 70 meters. These mollusks live only in salt water, and growth rates and taste depend on the number of ppm. The most delicious oysters live in water of 20-30 ppm. More salty water makes them real giants, but the meat of such big guys is very tough.
Edible varieties of oysters are harvested in the Black and Mediterranean Seas, in the depths of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Eat special kind shellfish – “giant” oysters, specially grown off the coast of France. They can be flat or concave in shape. Concave oysters are a favorite delicacy of Europeans, although there has never been a single recorded case of them disdaining flat mollusks.
In addition, there is a classification by size. Depending on the size, the oyster is assigned a number: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. “Zero” mollusks are the largest. Oysters number 1 usually weigh from 100 to 120 grams, number two - from 75 to 100 grams, and so on.
How to choose a good product
There are a great many types of oysters, but not nearly as many end up in Russia as we would like. In store refrigerators you can find “White Pearls”, “Tsarskie” and “Fin de Claire”. In the old days, “royal” oysters were bred specifically for the imperial table.
White Pearl oysters are firm and juicy meat. It is quite difficult to describe their taste, as, indeed, the taste of any other sea mollusks. In any case, you should try them at least once in your life.
When choosing foods, beware of stale oysters. Protein poisoning is the worst thing that can happen to a gourmet food lover. It is not difficult to identify a “bad” oyster - the mollusk valves are slightly open, there is no movement or any signs of life. Of course, if you buy live oysters. But you won’t find such places with fire during the day, so you often have to be content with frozen seafood. Finding a stale frozen oyster will be much more difficult, so check the manufacturer, importer and expiration dates carefully.
If you decide to enjoy yourself in a restaurant, first find out what kind of shellfish is served at the table, and whether the establishment has conditions for keeping live oysters.
How to eat oysters
Imagine that you have been invited to an event by someone you are crazy about. Or the potential boss decided to conduct an interview in an informal setting and called you in French restaurant(Sometimes it happens). And so the gallant waiter brought a dish of oysters to the table, and a trickle of cold sweat slowly but surely flowed down your back. How to eat oysters correctly? Most people, and not only in Russia, do not even suspect that eating these shellfish is a whole ritual. A little complex, but not without grace. So, MirSovetov will initiate you into the mystery of oyster gourmets.
Oysters are usually served on a large platter covered with crushed ice. They are carefully laid out in a circle, and placed in the center lemon wedges. The number of oysters must be divisible by 6. This is a generally accepted tradition, the roots of which are lost deep in the origins of European culture. The number depends on the size of the shellfish and the number of guests at the table.
Wine is served exclusively in dry white or dry champagne. Wine and Brut can be anything, but it is important that their price is not too high, since the main task is to highlight the taste of the oysters, but not to overshadow them.
We've sorted out the presentation culture, it's time to move on to action. You need to take shellfish from the dish with your left hand, turning the sharp end towards you. With your right hand, take an oyster knife, carefully insert the blade between the flaps and open them. Next, a thin film will appear, which must be cut in a circle with a knife, picked up, removed and placed on the edge of your plate. Manipulations with the knife are completed, now we need to take right hand a slice of lemon and a little drizzle over the oyster meat lemon juice. Two or three drops, no more.
Historical information: it is customary to sprinkle an oyster with lemon not only to improve the taste. Previously, shellfish were “pickled” using lemon juice so that they would not spoil during the long delivery process. Seafood was stored in large barrels, and they could spend more than two weeks on the road in the heat and stuffiness! Lemon juice helped keep the oysters more or less edible.
If you ordered live oysters, a drop of lemon juice will make the shellfish shiver. This means that he is alive and well, and you can safely suck him out of the sash. If no reaction is observed, call the waiter and point out this unfortunate fact - such an oyster is dead and it is very undesirable to eat it.
You need to suck out the mollusks without any extraneous sounds - quietly and orderly. If you are not confident in your abilities, you can carefully pry the meat with a two-pronged oyster fork and dip it in vinegar sauce and put it in your mouth.
That, in principle, is all you need to know about the culture of eating delicious shellfish. Many restaurants serve oysters already opened, so as not to embarrass guests. But if you're interested in trying them, ask the waiter to serve them covered when ordering.
You only need to suck out live oysters. Cooked shellfish are eaten with oyster forks, cold dishes are eaten with dessert utensils, and hot and warm dishes are eaten with tableware. The abundance of cutlery on the table is intimidating only the first time, but once you figure it out, everything turns out to be quite simple!
Despite the popularity of oysters, many people find them, to put it mildly, unappetizing. Probably, this is exactly the opinion that Anton Pavlovich Chekhov adhered to when he wrote about mollusks in his work “Oysters,” calling them creepy animals, similar to frogs, at the sight of which children hide.
How to eat oysters?
Oysters are not only a traditional delicacy in a French restaurant: make no less gourmet dish You can use some of them at home if you wish. However, most often, live or frozen oysters are simply eaten in pure form. Let's take a closer look at how to eat oysters correctly. First, let's talk about how to choose them, because if you buy stale oysters, you can get very poisoned.
Selecting and preparing oysters
Choose oysters that are intact and whose shells are tightly closed. You can also find fresh oysters without shells. All such oysters should be plump, the same size and in a clear liquid.
Live oysters should be placed on ice, covered with a towel and stored in the refrigerator. Shelf life - no more than five days. Oysters without shells can be kept in a container with salt solution for no more than a day. Prepare a solution in a proportion of 0.5 tsp. salt per cup of water. However, if possible, oysters are best eaten immediately after purchase.
Before use, wash oyster shells to remove sand under running water using a stiff brush. Oysters should be opened right before eating or cooking. It is best to discard oysters with already damaged or open shells.
How to eat oysters: instructions
To eat an oyster, it must be opened correctly. Don't forget to check the freshness of the oyster:
- If the oyster is fresh, then the slightly open shell should tend to slam shut.
- Fresh oysters also react to acid. After opening the oyster, it is customary to drip a little lemon juice into it for taste. Observe how the oyster reacts to it. A live oyster wrinkles a little from the acid.
- In addition to the body of the oyster, there is also a special liquid inside. In stale oysters, it leaks out, and such oysters seem lighter in weight than fresh ones.
If you suspect that the oysters are not fresh, it is better not to eat them.
How to open an oyster
Frozen oysters are cooked immediately after thawing. You can cook them, but not longer than a minute. Frozen oysters lose some of their beneficial features, but do not lose taste.
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What do oysters taste like? It's quite difficult to describe. But it makes sense to try them. For some, one time is not enough to try it, but others immediately join the gourmets.
You will need:
Let's meet - the oyster!
There are more than 50 species of mollusks in the world. All of them are divided into 2 types:
- Crassostrea (deep);
- Ostrea (flat).
Of course, a person does not feast on everyone. Those that go on a gourmet menu inhabit the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.
Belon
Most Popular. They have an iodine taste. Not for everyone.
Gilardo
Bred variety. Taste qualities do not change throughout the year. Fat. Not too salty.
Royal
Large ones. They are considered the most delicious. Suitable for preparing main dishes because they are very meaty.
White pearls
A little sweet. Soft. With milky taste.
Sakhalin
Huge sizes. Fat. Iodine is concentrated. The meat is too fatty. Not too salty. These oysters are eaten raw.
Austalian
Low-fat. Small sizes. Lungs. Delicate.
Oysters live in salt water. And what’s interesting is that the quality and size of the mollusks depends on its concentration. The most ideal is for the water to be about 30 ppm. If this figure is exceeded, they will quickly grow to giant sizes with tough meat inside.
A classification by size has been established. They increase from 5 to 0. Zero mollusks can weigh more than 120 grams, ones - from 100 grams, twos - from 75.
The French grow especially giant bivalve mollusks. And they are sent to gourmet tables.
These are creatures without a specific gender. They can change their gender with the seasons. If in the first breeding season oysters function as males, then in the next season they function as females.
When is the best time to use
All year round. Previously it was believed that in summer these mollusks were unsuitable for serving. There was even a belief that they should not be eaten when the letter r does not appear in the name of the month. Just all the summer ones fell under this rule.
Why did they say this? Oyster in summer heat it is more difficult to bring to the table unspoiled. But now there are refrigerators, there are no transport problems.
It just needs to be stored at temperatures up to 3º C. Existing in it nutrients will allow it not to deteriorate for up to 10 days.
And shellfish breed in the summer. During this period, there is milk in the sink. It could add a bitter taste to oyster meat. Today, on farms, this process can be delayed or eliminated altogether.
The taste will not depend on the time of year. Since wild shellfish are already rare, farmers are able to monitor their growth. The surrounding salt-filled water is also under control.
By the way, three-year-old oysters most often end up on the table. Therefore, they definitely lived through a couple of hot summer seasons.
Among mollusks it is impossible to do without exceptions. This is a very refined belon variety. The only place where it grows is Brittany. And there in the summer, as the sea temperature rises, the water blooms intensely. Then nasty bits of blooming algae can get into those “cream” among the oysters. In this case, the necessary amount of refinement of taste is lost.
How many oysters are in an average serving?
Such shellfish are served either 6 (half a dozen) or 12 pieces (a dozen). They are not weighed in grams or anything like that.
There is also a classic presentation. Oysters are served on a platter filled with ice.
In the center are lemon slices that surround the shells.
The drink should not interfere with the taste of the oysters. Only light accompaniment and emphasis.
Most often, you should avoid alcohol altogether when eating shellfish. But if you decide to combine this dish with wine, then champagne or white will be appropriate. Champagne "Brut". The wine is dry.
If you eat oysters in a restaurant, ask the sommelier for advice. He will suggest a suitable drink from the wines that are available.
The Irish serve clams with a cocktail of champagne and dark beer.
It's time to start eating
For now we say that oysters will be eaten by a right-handed person.
- With your left hand we take a clam from the dish. Turn the sharp end towards you. As usual, we take the knife with our right hand. Blade without extra effort open the doors.
- The oyster is open. A thin, almost transparent film becomes visible. It is cut into a circle with a knife. We remove it, picking it up, and put it on our plate, on the very edge.
- Now it's time to take a slice of lemon. We will squeeze the juice out of it onto the oyster. A couple of drops will be enough.
This makes the oyster shrink all over.
By the way, this is how you can check whether this mollusk is really alive, as stated in the menu. If there is no reaction, then the oyster is already dead. We return the entire dish to the kitchen.
Now carefully suck out the oyster. No disgusting squelching or loud noises.
You can do it differently.
- Take a fork (special) and pry the oyster.
- Before eating it, place it in a vinegar-based sauce for a couple of seconds.
If two people are far from each other haute cuisine, come to a restaurant for dinner and order oysters for the first time - a memorable evening is guaranteed. But not for the gourmets sitting next to you. While inexperienced eaters are trying to scoop the slippery substance into a teaspoon, while simultaneously dipping the toast into oyster juice, the delicate natures of aesthetes contemplate all this in a semi-fainting state. This article will clearly explain the basics of oyster etiquette.
How to eat oysters?
When a dish with a delicacy is already on the table, you should remember that oysters do not like cutlery. True connoisseurs They swallow them straight from the sink without any forks or spoons. Why then does the waiter present a tiny fork to restaurant visitors? In the case of oysters, it is only an aid to determine whether the meat has separated from the outer shell. You can also use a fork to move the shallots from the mignonette sauce into the shell, as is customary in European tradition. This allows you to enjoy pure, undiluted flavors, leaving the spices and seasonings for snacking. If oysters without accompaniment do not cause appetite, you should proceed step by step: sprinkle the pulp with lemon juice, a drop of cocktail sauce and add a little fresh horseradish.
Typically, oysters in restaurants should be eaten like this:
- Stir the oyster meat in the liquid-filled shell.
- Put down the fork, bring the shell to your mouth and tilt it with its wide edges so that its contents gently go towards the taste buds.
- Chew the oyster a couple of times and swallow.
- Sip the remaining juice to finish your meal with a deep, rich finish.
If you get to know the delicacy at home, it is important to know a few nuances in order to facilitate and speed up the preparation process.
A freshly opened oyster has a concentrated sweet-salty flavor, which is quickly lost if the shell is opened prematurely. There's no point in picking up a knife if the oysters are still waiting their turn.
Before opening, each oyster must be cleaned and rinsed under running cold water.
Protect your palm with a towel or oven mitt. Place the oyster on a flat surface and secure with your hand. Insert the end of the oyster knife into the slot and move it up and down, as if prying up a shell.
Carefully trim the muscle by sliding the knife horizontally between the valves and open the shell. Run a knife under the oyster meat, separating it from the bottom. Use a clean finger to remove any loose shell pieces.
For the feeling true taste lightly stir the pulp into the juice and serve immediately.
Tips for those who want to taste quality oysters in an establishment:
How to determine the quality of an oyster
Excessively light, shiny flesh indicates malnutrition oysters during their growth.
Most of the shell should be filled with meat. If it looks a little empty, the flesh is thin, too salty and smells bad, it is better to refrain from such food.
A restaurant's good reputation is an important indicator, but does not necessarily indicate the quality of the oysters it serves. Sometimes after a couple of questions to the cook who opened them and put them on ice, a lot becomes clear. The client has the right to express his doubts about the order and return it back.
Question and answer about oysters
Some people turn the shells into ice after finishing their meal. It is necessary?
No. You can perform this gesture to express gratitude and show politeness to the waiter. This way he knows that the meal is complete.
If you are having dinner in the company of culinary aesthetes and you want to find the right words to describe your feelings, what is the best way to do this?
Words that describe the taste of oysters: salty, sweet, melon-flavored, buttery, metallic. Words to describe texture: hard, springy, dense, sticky.
Is it true that the taste of oysters varies depending on the season?
Without a doubt. In the spring they eat algae, which usually begins to bloom at the first sign of rising temperatures; In the summer, oysters reproduce, become passive in the fall, and freeze in the winter, hibernating. In cold weather they have nothing to eat, so in the fall they stock up on the necessary elements. The oyster flesh becomes large and sweet in taste. By early spring they are almost completely exhausted. Conclusion: the most delicious oysters are those caught between November and January. Northern species forced to survive large quantity time, are in the very juice at Christmas.
Are there any oysters that are impossible to eat without additional seasonings?
Not all specimens are suitable for a raw food diet in their pure form. For example, tasting large, slimy New Orleans oysters without sauce will be disappointing and disgusting. Horseradish in large quantities would be appropriate here.
Bottom line
The owners of oyster farms say that everyone is free to eat this product at their own discretion, but only within the framework of inviolable, long-established rules. The freedom of choice is small, but still there: eat “clean” oysters or seasoned, with wine or martini, chewing or swallowing immediately. The main thing is to manipulate only those cutlery that the waiter brought, and there may be only two of them: a knife and an oyster fork.
Today hardly anyone can be surprised exotic dishes, because even the most outlandish seafood fits harmoniously into our diet. Therefore, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with table etiquette regarding shellfish and learn theoretically and through a video lesson how to eat oysters correctly. But if we happen to be in a French restaurant, we will no longer look like laymen in this matter, and we will deftly handle both shells and cutlery.
Oyster dating
Getting acquainted with these culinary delights is worth starting with the very basics, namely, what these same oysters actually are.
Many, not particularly knowledgeable in seafood cuisine, mussels are often confused with oysters, because both of them belong to the genus of bivalve mollusks. However, the difference between them is huge. Oysters have asymmetrical shells that look like “small and pot-bellied ears with tender meat that melts in your mouth,” as Maupassant once described them.
For a long time, the men of Greece and Rome valued these gifts of the seas for their miraculous powers. However, the French rulers did not stand aside. For Louis XIV they were cooked in hot oil or boiled directly in the shells.
These exotic shells reached Russia by the 17th century, and became one of the favorite delicacies for gourmets and moneybags. And Pushkin described the ritual of eating them as follows: “fat and lively, lightly sprinkled with lemon juice under unfortified wine.”
Classification of oysters
Today, these mollusks are rapidly conquering the Olympus of the Russian public, and almost every supermarket now sells these oceanic delicacies. Of course, they don’t cost a penny, but you can still treat yourself to such delicacies on occasion.
The main suppliers of oysters on the world market are the USA and Japan, but the most best shellfish originally from the French coast.
There is an opinion that you can only buy oysters in those months whose names contain the letter “r”, since from May to August these bivalve babies have a breeding season and the taste of their meat becomes specific.
How do they eat oysters?
Among lovers of this oceanic delicacy, there is a centuries-old tradition of eating oysters alive. If you study in detail video excursions in French or Japanese restaurants, then it will be easy to verify this.
Checking a mollusk for viability is quite simple: their shells are tightly closed, and if you slightly move the edges of the shell apart, then live oyster will slam shut instantly. However, you won’t find fresh and living shellfish in our retail chains during the day, so you have to be content with frozen products.
By the way, oysters are not necessarily eaten raw; they are deep-fried, baked, boiled, added to salads and sandwiches. There are quite a lot of recipes using these mollusks for every taste, if you would like to cook.
Rules of oyster etiquette
Serving bivalves has its own rules that must be followed:
- On big dish It is necessary to lay out an even, low but wide mound of crushed ice. This measure will preserve the viability of seafood for half an hour. This is just enough time to finish the meal.
- Place 12 oysters in a circle on top of the crushed ice. According to etiquette, the number of shellfish should be a multiple of 6, and a dozen is optimal quantity, which is enough to satisfy the dish.
- Lemon is also served with oysters. The citrus is cut into slices and placed in the center of the dish, or between the shells.
- The ideal complement to such an exotic dish would be white wine and crispy rye croutons.
This is exactly how serving an oyster dinner should ideally look like.
How to open an oyster (video)
After setting the table, you can begin the meal itself.
The first step is to open the oyster, but without certain skills this is quite difficult and even dangerous. As a rule, in elite restaurants these shellfish are already served open to avoid injury to customers, but at home the entire burden of this matter falls on our shoulders.
- We take in one hand a towel folded several times, with which we will hold the shell, and turn the oyster towards us with the narrowed side or the sharp end.
- Next, you will need a sharp knife with a thin blade or a wide knife with a short blade. By inserting the tip of the knife between the valves, we cut the muscle that holds the valves closed, turn the blade and move the edges apart.
- After the shell is opened, you need to use a knife to carefully cut the film located in the center of the shell in a circle and take it out onto a plate.
- Then we sprinkle the oyster pulp with lemon juice, take an oyster fork - a kind of small bident and extract the pulp, which we immediately put into our mouth.
- In some cases, forks are not served; then, after lemon treatment, the oyster pulp is simply sucked out of the shell.
That's all science is. Sleight of hand, a little training, and everything will work out with a bang. As we see the process, this one is quite simple and even exciting. But to consolidate your theoretical knowledge, you can watch this video, which will show in detail how to eat oysters correctly.
Oysters: how to choose, open and make oyster sauce (video)
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