Dear Diary,
Since my December 5th posting, my obsession with raw oysters has continued unabated. I estimate that I have now shucked about 50 oysters, which 25 have been shared with my wife. On New Years Eve, I shucked a dozen.
During the past month, I have been researching the local sources for oysters, and learning a lot about their cultivation and variety. There is a website full of oyster lore and useful information called Oysterater. They identify virtually every variety you might bump into.
As I mentioned previously, the typical restaurant price for oysters on the half shell is around $3 each. We have paid this amount on rare occasion, but we are more likely to dine at those venues that offer a reduced price for this delicious little blob of briny heaven. In pre-pandemic times we found several locations that offer oysters at $1.00 -- almost always at "slow" times. Typically, these are the hours between 4pm and 6pm - or what used to be called "happy hour" here in Mass. (Happy hour 2 for 1 drinks have been banned statewide.) However, bars and restaurants have creatively turned to other promotions to get folks to come in during those otherwise "dead" periods.
Thus was born the "buck-a-shuck" concept.
We eventually settled on our new favorite local venue for oysters -- The Dolphin, in Natick. They offered $1 oysters during weekday happy hours, and ALL DAY on Sunday. So The Dolphin on Sunday afternoons became a frequent destination. We would often meet friends there and have a great time sucking down oysters, guzzling refreshing adult beverages and munching on 65 cent Buffalo chicken wings. Good times.
By mid-March, 2020 everything changed suddenly. COVID-19. Pandemic. Lockdown. Cancel your plans, Pilgrim! We were strongly advised to stay home, and we did (partly because there was nowhere to go.) Although the Dolphin re-opened during the summer, serving al fresco under a tent, we felt it necessary to refrain from any level of gathering with the dreaded public. That resulted in 8+ months without any oysters. Who knew how to shuck them? Wasn't it hard to do, and dangerous? Fear of the unknown can close one's mind to possibilities.
Finally, in desperation, I started looking at YouTube videos about oysters and was amazed at the dozens of tutorials about how to shuck an oyster. I resolved to become an Apprentice Oyster Shucker.
Today January 9th, after opening 50 oysters, I can report that it is definitely worth the effort. I think the technique can be mastered by anyone with sufficient wrist strength, and determination. The Oyster does not want to give up. Prying open the hinge on the pointed end of the shell takes some force and confidence, but I can confirm that it gets easier with each batch.
The research part of this project has been interesting as well. I mentioned that the price of an oyster can range between $1 and $3 in a restaurant, but how much do they charge at the fish market? Not to get too detailed, I found that Whole Foods offers a nice selection of local oysters priced at $1.49. My local fish market also priced oysters at $1.50 but jacked-up the price to $1.75 for the holidays. Another market had Duxbury Bays on sale for $1.25.
My favorite varieties are Wellfleets from Cape Cod area and two types from Damariscotta River in Maine -- Glidden Points and Pemiquids. These varieties are midsized, sweet, briny and plump. They also tend to be cleaner with less shell fragments to deal with. Check out the Oysterater for more info on these and other varieties.
When you buy oysters be sure and ask for a small bag of crushed ice to serve them on, to keep them from spilling the tasty juices (liquor) out. Alternative, a thin bed of Kosher salt on a plate will keep them from tipping. If you do not plan to use right away, they can store unshucked in the fridge for a few days, in a bowl covered with a damp dish towel (not sitting in melting ice). Some say that if you put them in the freezer an hour before shucking --they will open easier. I have not confirmed this.
It helps to have all the things you need ready for serving before you start to shuck. Protective gloves, knife, lemon wedges, cocktail sauce, etc. I also use a dishtowel to hold the shell while I'm working on it. I wont lie, it is work. But, good work.
Fresh oysters are delicious. Even during "Dry January." 9 days, but who's counting?
Jan 14 Update: Due to unsettling events in the news this week, Dry January has morphed into Slightly less wet January.
