Photo by Kaelon Kew-Wong Soto
I am in love with delicious and Earth. Now, let’s go eat the fuck out of some oysters!
Sorry if I almost lost you there. I’ll slow down.
Midsummer, my colleagues from Royal Izakaya and I waded through the Dela- ware Bay to Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm in Cape May County, NJ. Owner, farmer, and marine biologist Lisa Calvo shared with us her research, on climate change, merroir, and oyster farming. Gathered on a sandbar, we swallowed oysters as fast as she shucked them.
I found my way to raw oysters as a wedding guest on the shore of Cal- ifornia’s Tomales Bay. That perfect marriage of proximity, shuckers, and champagne unlocked my enjoyment of the sea’s cold freshness sliding down my throat.
I have eaten oysters ever since––and always in the realm of “special treats” or “va- cation food.” As a food activist artist and creator of Phully Rooted: A Guide to Eat- ing Seasonally & Locally in Philadelphia/ PA, I realize it is time for me to reconsider the oyster. Oysters could, and probably should, be part of our regular, healthy diets. We can, and probably should, eat them at home. Serve them to friends! Oysters may be the most sustainable food in our foodshed.
Oysters filter up to fifty gallons of water a day. Each. They sequester filtered sediment and nitrogen in their shells as they grow, sometimes shaping them into small pack- ets to deposit harmlessly on the ocean’s floor. Oysters are heroes among Earthlings! Cleaning water and carbon sequestration are to them as breathing is to us. They take well to cultivation and can be farmed without creating pollution.
We should all eat oysters! But you don’t have to take my word for it.
Oysters’ nutritional and aphrodisiacal virtues have been touted for centuries. MFK Fisher wrote in her 1941 book Consider The Oyster that Cicero ate them “to nourish his excellence,” and Louis XI made them oblig- atory “for the great men he gathered to him in order that they should be as intelligent as possible.” Oysters are rich in protein, vitamin B12, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids while being low in calories. Oysters’ flavor has been prized in Chinese cooking for thousands of years.
If you’re already an oyster-lover, please indulge yourself more often and with more gusto. But what if you’re not? I had the pleasure of a one-on-one conversa- tion with Lisa Calvo on the topic:
J: How do you serve oysters to the tentative?
L: The most accessible oyster is a baked oyster with something on it. I open them, pop some bleu cheese on them, and roast them in the oven for about 5-7 minutes at 375°- 400°– just until the cheese and liquor bubble a little. Locally-made Birchrun Blue is especially good for this preparation, but any bleu will work… or cheddar, butter with leeks, Worcestershire, hot sauce, bbq sauce…
If I’m trying to interest folks in eating raw oysters on the half shell, it’s about size. I try and select petite, pristine, cleanly shucked oysters. If they aren’t perfectly-shucked, there may be visual or textural cues that are off-putting. If you’re at a raw bar, talk to your shucker. They’ll be able to recom- mend what’s most popular with a flavor profile that pleases the most people and has the most consistent qualities of texture, appearance, and flavor.
J: How do you eat oysters at home? L: I throw them on the grill covered with wet burlap. It’s so easy cuz you don’t have to worry about shucking––the fire does it for you! Pull them off right as they pop open (about 4 minutes if the oysters are small and the fire is hot). They get a smoky flavor which pairs re- ally well with butter and Tabasco.
J: What is your favorite way to eat oysters?
L: I really love them best raw on the 1⁄2 shell with a little lemon. For my first time trying an oyster (from a particular region, farm, or restaurant), I try one naked, one with a squeeze of lemon, and one with the mignonette the chef is lifting up.
Every oyster that’s grown in every particular place and time has its own merroir. Ocean oysters are briny, while bay oysters get a mix of salty and fresh waters, so they’re sweet. Seasons and rainfall levels affect flavor. Merroir is a multifactoral equation that keeps tast- ing oysters exciting. Add to that what the chef is doing that’s interesting and creative…
J: Speaking of chefs, where can we eat Sweet Amalia oysters in Philadelphia?
L: Royal Izakaya; Oyster House; a.kitchen+bar, Wilder, My Loup, River Twice and Lauryl, Vetri, Heavy Metal Sausage, occasionally elsewhere.
J: How do we get local oysters to eat at home?
L: We sell direct through our market in Newfield, NJ. Folks can buy from the case there or reach out to us 48 hours in advance for 50 or more. Fishtown Seafood carries a lot of local varieties now–not us yet, but maybe later. The Barnegat Collective, a group of 12-15 NJ farms that sell as a group, will di- rect-ship to your door.