Table of Content
What I don't want is a bunch lemon seeds to end up in the mix, which you then have to fish out of the oyster shells, spilling and wasting delicious oyster liquor in the process. I also don't like serving haggard looking lemon wedges as a garnish. If you're not planning to consume the oysters immediately when you receiving them, store them in the fridge at degrees F, but take care NOT to freeze them. Covering them with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel is optional. They can be kept happy and alive for several days, if not weeks, in that state. Like any type of fresh shellfish, raw oysters are best when consumed immediately.
Another method to store oysters is with ice in a perforated steam pan. Place a vessel to catch the dripping water from the melted ice. These methods will preserve the fresh briny flavor of the oysters. Oysters taste better when you have them at your favorite place with your loved ones. Yes, you can have oysters at your birthday party or at the family Christmas party.
Storing oysters
After placing oysters and liquor in a plastic container or freezer bag, seal the headspace, freeze, and return to the freezer. This method can also be used to freeze hard-to-reach oysters. You can store shelled oysters on a bed of ice like you often see fishmongers do at the seafood market in order to display their catches for the public to peruse and purchase. Storing your oysters cupped or curved shell-side down is another way you can help to preserve their natural juices for a more flavorful and succulent seafood feast. You don’t need to shuck or wash your oysters until you’re planning on eating them, as they usually taste best when this is done immediately beforehand. To lengthen their shelf life, you can lay the oysters flat-side up (large shell-side down) and cover them with a damp cloth in a container.
Warn everyone in your vicinity that things are about to get loud, then pulse the ice a few times until it is broken down into pebble-sized pieces. Some of the ice will be more processed, with a snow cone–like texture, and that's fine. You just don't want to over-process the ice as the motor of the food processor will get too warm and you'll have a meltdown situation on your hands. Transfer the ice to colander set inside a large bowl, and pop the bowl in the fridge while you process more batches of ice, until you have enough to fill your serving vessel a couple of times over.
Storing Oysters: Keep Them Fresh For Longe
Use a side-to-side motion and firmly tug the beard out. If you do not notice a beard, it was likely removed during processing, so it is OK if you do not see one. How much of a premium do restaurants charge for shucking, you wonder? In 2012, Aquagrill in NYC charges $2.15 per piece for them, whereas I bought them for about $1 per piece and that's mostly the cost of shipping!
As we mentioned above, live oysters can be stored in the fridge, and it’s fine to leave them in here overnight where they can remain cool. No, dead oysters should not be stored as they are not safe to eat. If you don’t have enough room in your freezer to keep full-shelled oysters, you can shuck them before storage. Most of the oysters harvested these days are from farmed oysters. While you might have some reservations about farmed seafood, farmed oysters are the exception. They actually filter out a lot of water and have helped in removing excess amounts of algae in the water.
Cleaning and Prepping Oysters
Frozen oysters, on the other hand, can be fried or cooked in a variety of ways. Allow three months for frozen oysters to fully defrost. Remove any shells or sand from the oysters by squeezing them into a strainer . If a sand problem persists, rinsed oysters can be used.
Heat will transfer into your cooler from the bottom and sides first, so you want that heat hitting ice instead of oysters. Also, if you are using ice, this will keep the oysters sitting up on the ice and not down in the ice melt. When they arrive at your door they will have travelled overnight with our couriers in insulated packaging with cool packs to keep them nicely chilled. At your earliest opportunity take the oysters out of the packaging and if they are in a box remove the lid and place a damp cloth over them. If they are in a net place them in a clean bowl or colander and again cover with a damp cloth. Place the oysters in a cool place in your home, in the summer this might be the top of the fridge where it's warmest, in the winter they will be OK in your garage or protected outside.
How to Shuck
It's important to work as quickly as possible so that you minimize the amount time that the oysters are out of refrigeration. If you are cleaning more than fifty oysters, or have a really warm kitchen, work in batches so they don't sit out for too long. Whenever you purchase oysters, it's important to understand that you are taking home living organisms, and that you want to keep them alive up until the moment you are ready to eat them. If you are buying them from a seafood shop, make sure that's the last stop on your shopping trip before heading home, and that you can keep them cool in transit. This may seem like common sense, but I have watched professional cooks do some truly confounding things when it comes to handling shellfish, so I've learned not to make assumptions.
However, if you can’t eat your oysters right away, you can store them for a few days in the fridge or even longer in the freezer. Though the storage process may seem complicated at first, it is fairly simple and straightforward when you break it down. If you’re nervous about shucking or eating raw oysters or simply want a new way to serve them on the half shell, roasting is a great option.
Oysters will tolerate being kept on ice, but it is not the ideal. Plus, you are now having to check that you have enough ice and that you oysters aren’t sitting in water. And if they are in there long enough, at some point you’ll need to repack them to make sure there is ice all around them, not just on top. If you know you aren’t going to eat the oysters for a bit, just shuck and freeze them. Use a freezer safe container, shuck them, stick as much liquor in the container as you can and then add water to cover the oysters.
Avoid storing them underneath other types of raw meat where the potential of dripping meat juice could lead to cross-contamination of your food which would make it unsafe to consume. Storing fresh oysters starts with buying the freshest oysters in the first instance, so make sure to look out for any signs that your selection of seafood is past its best. You can buy canned oysters which will typically last longer, but fresh oysters taste better. However, oysters can open slightly while in transit or stored in the fridge . If any oyster has opened, simply tap the oyster firmly on the bench and it should close.
Cooked oysters can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. If you plan on eating the oysters within a week, you can store them in a container of seawater in the fridge. Raw oysters can be placed in a freezer bag and stored in the freezer for up to six months. When you are ready to eat the oysters, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight.
With grilling comes a whole new set of sauces and recipes. Hot sauce is a trusted standby, but I would highly recommend experimenting with others. The next time around, I'd opt for a bolder concoction for this kind of oyster. I must have gotten my taste for oysters from my parents, because they love them as well. The last time when we all got together, we went out for oysters in their area.
No comments:
Post a Comment