24 replies to this topic

[Mark Slater]

Had the pleasure of sitting down to a large platter of oysters last night. 3 dozen of 6 kinds of raw oysters. All of them tasty and quite varied, I couldn't help noticing how plump and delicious the Kumamotos were. I've eaten them before and remembered them as tiny, briny and metallic tasting. These babies were pearly white and downright fat. This started me thinking..... Are there certain months and times of year for each variety of oyster that is better or worse than another time of year?

[Wilfrid1]

I had some terrific kumamotos at Mas very recently. Good question.

[Daisy]

Well, the least optimum time to eat oysters is when they are spawning, which I believe is usually in the warmer months. But I eat oysters year round and have only been served spawning oysters once that I can recall. They were not unpleasant but sort of funky in texture and rather washed out tasting. I do think there is a corollation between depth of flavor in oysters and water temperature (i.e. colder water better) so it wouldn't surprise me if they were better at certain times than others. I would imagine the water Kumamotos are harvested from is mighty chilly now, though.

[SFJoe]

I think of Kumamotos as being on the less briny side of oysters, in common with many Pacific varieties. For briny give me Belons.

Commercial growers manipulate they oysters' life cycle so they have some that aren't spawning during the summer, although I encounter "milky" oysters pretty often in the summer and don't really enjoy them. I mostly pass on oysters in the summer, to tell the truth, unless I'm at a place that takes them very seriously (Zuni, for instance).

Oysters from spots like the Gulf of Mexico are much more likely to have microbial issues during warmer weather, and I would definitely batter and fry them before eating.

[Pingarina]

Sounds like the oyster beds are in bad shape down there:

http://www.nytimes.c...ing/05seaf.html

[Ron Johnson]

I've always found kumamotos to be creamy, but usually small. Good to know that big plump ones can be found at the right time of the year.

[Pingarina]

We inhaled a dozen Miyagi's at Five Points last night. Perfect. Too busy talking to ask where they were from, though.

[DEB]

I have always enjoyed oysters raw, deep-fried or in stew. Recently, a neighbor offered me a roasted (on the grill) oyster. She had shucked them and added a little butter. Plus she was also grilling fennel next to them so they had a mild licorish-y flavor. Absolutely diivine.

I'd love to hear more oyster recipes.

[Daisy]

No doubt there is another oyster thread but this one is what our mercurial search engine spat forth.

Anyway, last night I had for the first time oysters from Virginia. They were excellent.