Above: You had me at hello… The oven-roasted gulf oysters at Cochon in New Orleans, in February 2009.
Reading The New York Times this morning as I munched my quesadilla (topped with “casera” salsa by Herdez, which, btw, you must look for in a can as opposed to jar, because it just tastes SO much better), I found myself entirely mesmerized by the “domino effect of lives touched” described in this article and I couldn’t help but remember my first gulf oyster (above), masticated in New Orleans not long after I moved to Texas, back in February 2009.
Will it be my last?
Above: Before the BP oil spill, it was common to serve endless raw gulf oysters at crawfish boils and other summer gatherings. This year, it’s not.
Gulf oysters are in short supply these days in the wake of the oil spill and subsequent catastrophe but I trust and hope they will rebound. Check out the Times article. It’s fascinating… My favorite passage:
- And yes, the captain eats oysters. Using a short knife, he pops the seal of a just-harvested oyster with safecracker élan, makes a cut, and slurps the wild goop down.
Buon weekend, ya’ll!
Oops…sorry I missed your b-day (was it Bastille Day?)…sounds like you had a nice one.
You have a good weekend too!
thanks VinoGirl and thanks for keeping up with the blog… always enjoying Vinsanity!
I really hope not. I’ve heard the Apalachicola (where the Chattahoochee/Apalachicola river empties into the gulf in Florida) beds are safe, perhaps because outflowing water is keeping oil at bay. However, rumor has it when BP paid off the oyster farmers- even though there was good fishing, or oystering, or whatever you call it- they took the money and decided not to work.
I adore oysters quick-grilled in the shells over a hot fire; just enough so the shells pop, especially with Champagne. I’ve been eating Chesapeake Bay and Blue Points since. Sadly, even if the gulf beds are okay, many markets and restaurants will not buy them, per the shady providence of the catch…
The Best Chesapeake Bay Oysters are grown on our family farm!
Quality & Sustainability
http://www.deltavilleoystercompany.com
I had a giant broiled oyster on the shell the other night in Flushing at the Ocean Jewels Restaurant.
I wonder where they get their oysters from….