Oysters. Smoke em if you got em.

[Kaz]

The other day I threw on my boots and took a long walk to one of my local arrowhead spots. Didn't find any artifacts this time but I came back with a bunch of beautiful oysters. My brother was visiting from Texas so we shucked and ate quite a few raw. Tonight I put the remaining oysters in a wok with some white wine and a little water and steamed them open. Tomorrow I'll soak them in the broth for a little while and then fire up the smoker. After a little cold smoke I'll drizzle with some olive oil.

[redrocks]

Nice

[Hoss]

Wow awesome eats right there

[BabaORiley]

Loves me some oysters...good eating for sure. Smoked sounds really good.

[Cecilia]

So Baba, how many dozens can you eat?

[oldrocks2]

Looks fine eaten. You are lucky I get my smokes oysters out of a tin.

[Kaz]

Rain finally let up enough do my smoking. Here are the finished product. Yummy

[CMD]

I notice oyster farms springing up all over Narragansett Bay and our Atlantic coast salt ponds....

[CMD]

A RI oyster farm, in an Atlantic coast salt water pond....

[rock ON.]

It' been so long since I've had raw or fresh oysters that's making me drool, only had smoked oysters from a can I'll bet those home smoked ones can't be beat.

[sailorjoe]

Well, dang me, for sure. I overlooked this thread for many days so I'm finally responding. I really, really like oysters if they meet my exceedingly high standards. I usually eat them raw at a oyster bar that i regularly frequent. I probably eat 30 to 50 dozen a year raw. I sometimes eat them fried. Your photos of your preparation and presentation are super great. Makes my mouth water. I also like baked oysters like Rockefeller, etc. and other ways to bake them. HST, I never had any fresh oysters that were smoked as you describe. They really look great! I have not gathered my own oysters for many, many years. Not sure that I'm up to wading around in the sand and mud on a low tide. Glad that you are able to do that. I make a really good cocktail sauce that I sometimes use to dip the little critters in and eat with crackers. The oyster bar that I go to gives me the ingredients that I use to make my own sauce. The ingredients are: tomato catsup, horseradish, worchestershire sauce, Tobasco sauce and fresh lemons. I mix all this up and use that as a dip. But not before I eat and thoroughly chew one or two of the oysters to see if the little critters measure up. It usually only takes one to make sure I would like to order a dozen or two.the water in the shell has to have a fairly high degree of saltiness, the meat of the oyster should be firm and chewy (not soft and milky) and they absolutely have to be alive. Dead oysters should never be eaten raw. HST, if you buy oysters to cook then they are, by definition, already dead.as they come in small round boxes It is when eating them raw that one has to insist that they are alive when shucked. These days inspection standards for the oyster industry are such that we normally don't have to worry about eating them raw. I've eaten thousands and thousands of raw oysters the last 20 years and have never gotten sick. I believe part of that is due to the fact that the shuckers where I eat know when the oyster is dead. They know this because when they pick up an oyster to shuck that they always tap the shell with their knife. If the oyster is dead/no good to eat then the sound from the tap sounds different than one that is still alive. Bottom line is, I hope my shuckers have good hearing. LOL

[Kaz]

Hi Joe... I don't know where you live but if you're ever going to visit Long Island let me know. We can feast on some of the best oysters I've ever eaten. I have a few spots where they are pretty plentiful and I have the luxury of picking up only the perfect ones as I am looking around for artifacts. The ones I just smoked came out awesome and I'm almost out. I think I'll go get some more tomorrow.

[Cecilia]

Kaz, used to go to kinda shack-looking place on pier somewhere on Long Island famous for oysters. Can see it, but can’t remember where was.

Had big cherry stones size of fist somewhere else, too, but can’t remember that location, either. Maybe Montauk... does that sound possible?

[Cecilia]

O, do love love love oysters!! Raw, smoked, broiled, fried, Rockefeller ..... eating them raw like eating the ocean! This post a-killin’ me!

(my record is 4 dozen raw... think it took 20 mins)

[clovisoid]

I love small ones raw, with lime. Some of the ones here in Asia are bigger than your open hand, and deep. Not bad for cooking, but it's about 5 bites to get them down.

[Cecilia]

Please send me some a‘them big ones, please.....

Bet you can get sea bass, too (for less than $30lb !)

[Kaz]

We have some big ones too, I just don't usually pick em up.

[Kaz]

Hey Cecilia around here the seabass and blackfish are free.

[Cecilia]

Does sea bass taste like butter in your mouth?!

Do you like Montauk?

Do you know the cherry stones I’m talking about?

[Kaz]

Yea seabass is great. I spend a lot of time in montauk. It's pretty far from where I live but we like to drive out there especially in the fall when the surf fishing is at its best. Off season we stay out there because the hotels are much more affordable. Lots of seals out there in the winter time. Good seafood out there also. Don't normally like to pay restaurant prices for clams because I am able to rake my own where I live.