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What's on your plate today?

Right before I flew out of Seattle yesterday, I went to Bow, WA (home of the best oysters on the planet ) and shipped 5 dozen to my house.

Flash forward 24 hours, and the first of many dozens, with me as the “mother shucker”

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The perfect “shuck”

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They wanted some Champagne for the mignonette sauce, so I pulled out a bottle of my favorite vintage of Boones Farm sparking wine...

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CigSid said:
Right before I flew out of Seattle yesterday, I went to Bow, WA (home of the best oysters on the planet ) and shipped 5 dozen to my house.

Flash forward 24 hours, and the first of many dozens, with me as the “mother shucker”

View attachment 27490

The perfect “shuck”

View attachment 27491

They wanted some Champagne for the mignonette sauce, so I pulled out a bottle of my favorite vintage of Boones Farm sparking wine...

View attachment 27492
Click to expand...
Everyone knows the best oysters on the planet come from The Chesapeake Bay!
 
Made a batch of chicken caccitore on Saturday. First time cooking it myself but my mom used to make a version when I was younger. I added red wine and capers. Turned out pretty good.
 
CigSid said:
Haha!! Not even close brother 😂

And, here are the “facts” about east vs west oysters...

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Obviously, a West Coast flatlander made that up. The only thing I agree with is their salty/briney comment. But, that’s a taste or attribute I prefer mixed with the sweetness of oysters. Just remember, we are talking Chesapeake Bay oysters and not necessarily east coast oysters.

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jfields said:
Obviously, a West Coast flatlander made that up. The only thing I agree with is their salty/briney comment. But, that’s a taste or attribute I prefer mixed with the sweetness of oysters. Just remember, we are talking Chesapeake Bay oysters and not necessarily east coast oysters.

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Dude!! You are not supposed to EAT the oysters from Chesapeake Bay!! They were put there to clean up all the toxins and contamination.... They still have a long ways to go;

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So this happened at the Fields house over the weekend. A box of oysters showed up at my house from the west coast courtesy @CigSid.
Nice and classy presentation from this company to be sure. Definitely sets the expectation and the mood to set up and eat some oysters on the half shell.

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My final verdict: They do have very deep shells with fluted edges compared to ones my way. Keeps them juicer after shucking. I wouldn’t say they are bigger though. Chesapeake Bay oysters come in a wide variety of sizes. These are very uniform though.
Taste was very similar, but these were very salty. Once you get through that, they have a very buttery taste. A little acid from lemon juice seemed to bring out the sweetness from them and tone down the salt. Before that they tasted like they came directly from the ocean and not a tidal bay type place. I still prefer Chesapeake Bay oysters, but my daughter who also loves them says she prefers these. 😂

She’s still new at the oyster thing, so maybe it’s a what you grew up on preference thing for Bill and I. In all honesty, the best oysters I’ve ever had hands down, I ate while I was in Paris France. They definitely left an impression on me. The restaurant I had them at brought them in daily from a Northwest place in France called Brittany. They claimed the best oysters in the country come from there only.

ETA: Thank you Bill! 😁
 
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John, were those French oysters Belon oysters?

I myself and not a big oyster guy. I remember the first one I ever had was a shooter. I tried to chew it instead of just swallowing it down. Gross. Ever since then I've not had much interest in them.

Although a local Peruvian spot deep fried them and adds them to one of their ceviches. Those are pretty good.
 
The Black Cloud said:
John, were those French oysters Belon oysters?

I myself and not a big oyster guy. I remember the first one I ever had was a shooter. I tried to chew it instead of just swallowing it down. Gross. Ever since then I've not had much interest in them.

Although a local Peruvian spot deep fried them and adds them to one of their ceviches. Those are pretty good.
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That’s it! Belon Oysters.

Just like Guinness, it’s an acquired taste. I used to just swish them around quickly and swallow them whole in my youth. Nowadays I actually chew them up gently, breaking them apart before swallowing them.
 
jfields said:
So this happened at the Fields house over the weekend. A box of oysters showed up at my house from the west coast courtesy @CigSid.
Nice and classy presentation from this company to be sure. Definitely sets the expectation and the mood to set up and eat some oysters on the half shell.

View attachment 27565View attachment 27566View attachment 27567
My final verdict: They do have very deep shells with fluted edges compared to ones my way. Keeps them juicer after shucking. I wouldn’t say they are bigger though. Chesapeake Bay oysters come in a wide variety of sizes. These are very uniform though.
Taste was very similar, but these were very salty. Once you get through that, they have a very buttery taste. A little acid from lemon juice seemed to bring out the sweetness from them and tone down the salt. Before that they tasted like they came directly from the ocean and not a tidal bay type place. I still prefer Chesapeake Bay oysters, but my daughter who also loves them says she prefers these. 😂

She’s still new at the oyster thing, so maybe it’s a what you grew up on preference thing for Bill and I. In all honesty, the best oysters I’ve ever had hands down, I ate while I was in Paris France. They definitely left an impression on me. The restaurant I had them at brought them in daily from a Northwest place in France called Brittany. They claimed the best oysters in the country come from there only.

ETA: Thank you Bill! 😁
Click to expand...

Kumamoto oysters are my absolute favorite. The last time I had them I was at the Chicago Oyster House. Nicely done Bill.
 
All this oyster talk - I need to keep up on this thread! Oysters/Sushi.. most raw proteins are my favorite food. Been eating them since age 5!
Taylors in Washington is a gem @CigSid. John is truly blessed, you are a saint Bill!

I grew up in Washington and the oysters up there are phenomenal. Interesting conversation around oysters is bringing in these other non-native varieties into new environments. No doubt the consumer market is driving this decision (you can get Japanese oysters like the Miyagi in Washington and California). Olympia oysters are the true indigenous oyster in the Puget Sound (WA) but you can find so many other kinds. I also find it hard to determine which Merroir I might prefer (Terroir:Wine::Merroir:Oysters) and which variety I might like; it truly has to be a combo of both, but I prefer to isolate those variables to understand the true taste of each.

I am spoiled now in the Bay Area - we have the Tomales Bay and Hog Island oysters. I usually have them for breakfast at the farmer's market at 8am after a shot of wheat grass, followed by Mexican food.

Favorite oyster to date was a small Kushi oyster from BC.

"They" also say to only have oysters in months that end in R.. total BS. The issue is if the waters are warmer, the oysters are not as good. But have you been in the Pacific Ocean.. at any time of the year?! It's freezing cold.

Pairing anything but fine Muscadet, Chablis, or Champagne (all of which have shellfish in the soli they are grown) is a crime.
 
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