Blair- funny I forgot those descriptions !!!
Jay, have you had a Kusshi many times? I wonder if there is some bivalve variation in play on your report of fishiness. They aren’t by nature strong on the fish flavor. To me they are similar to Kumo or Fanny Bay in being clean, low salinity, a little sweet and creamy, with the cake and fruity note.
If I’m having a bunch of oysters I’ll do mostly just lemon, but will also go for the migonette and one or two with a few drops of cocktail or Tabasco and a lot of lemon. A tad of mildly flavored granita is also a good twist. I bet I posted it somewhere but we use a recipe nabbed from Hog Island via Martha Stewart for bbq oysters. The sauce is basically mostly butter, with lemon juice, some finely minced shallot, and just a tad of either red curry or sundries tomato paste. They are always devoured, with people waiting at the grill for them to come off. I think we went through a hundred of them at a summer offline a few years back.
Much as I love sweet little Kumamotos, my favorites are the brinier oysters. And maybe a small squeeze of lemon but often as not nothing at all.
Jay, do you get Little Island oysters in Chicago? I’m curious because the farm is very close to our place in ME, and we eat them often, and know the farmers pretty well.
BTW (maybe you know this) they have recently expanded and the new plot is in a place further “downstream” that is a bit saltier, so the oysters are brinier (they are on the Bagaduce River, so the water varies from full salt to brackish as you get farther from the open ocean). Also, IIRC just this summer, they started harvesting “groundhogs”–oysters that grow on the bottom rather than hanging from a net, and these are considerably plumper and juicier–everyone liked them better. Don’t know if they are distributing those yet.
Peter- almost all of the oysters I have tried were at Shaw’s. Funny had to look at what are on the menu today- interesting mix and some I haven’t tried. Might have to get my son and go and try some!
RIPTIDE (c.virginica) buzzards bay, MA
FLAPJACK POINT (c.gigas) puget sound, WA
ISLAND CREEK (c.virginica) duxbury harbor, MA
HAMMERSLEY INLET (c. gigas) puget sound, WA
PETER’S POINT (c.virginica) fisherman’s cove, MA
PICKERING PASS (c. gigas) puget sound, WA
I started taking notes because my memory sucks ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
…so having them has been a big help! I do the same thing with cheeses.
John- have tried the Kusshi twice with same result. Just not for me.
What are your favorite pairings?
Some of my favorites are:
Watari Bune Junmai Ginjo “55”
Köstritzer Schwarzbier
Muscadet Sur Lie
Two from Prince Edward Island not yet mentioned: North Shore Gold and Hurricane Island. The latter rival kumamoto in terms of their tiny size. But they pack a wallop.
From Puget Sound not yet mentioned: Nisqually. Nice sweetness.
Ones mentioned that I like are Beausoleil and Duxbury.
How hard do you think it is to shuck your own oysters. I can get high quality oysters shipped to me really cheap and would love to shuck a couple of dozen for some holiday parties that we will attend/host. I would be concerned about the difficulty not having attempted to shuck an oyster and even more concerned about the possibility of puncturing myself pretty badly.
Yes. I have a good shucking glove and knife. I’ve done it 5-6 times as a place like L.A. Fish Co. has some nice oysters at a deal. Using a thick towel beneath the oyster to prevent movement/slippage/punctur wounds is a good idea. The time it takes for me is the issue. I’ve resorted to never trying to do more than 18, so reserving it for a small group. The time required for me is much longer than what I see people employed at raw bars accomplish. I would say that 18 oysters ends up taking me 20 minutes to plate.
+1 on all the above. Another trick is to make sure the oysters aren’t too cold–they’re best cool, otherwise they tend to “clam up” and are harder to shuck. Also, the more you do it the faster you get–tho some people are more talented (got any surgeon friends? 
)
I leave it to the professionals!!
I recommend buying a half dozen OXO oyster knives and teaching folks how to do it so they can do their own. Most people can get the hang of it after 3 or 4. Any ones where they destroy the hinge, you can just pop on the grill.
You’re smarter than me! 
But it is fun, to a point. I only do it at our ME place, which is out in the country…
Just REMEMBER to put a towel in your holding hand to protect it from puncture
Caper’s Blades
These are the best I’ve ever had and by far the cleanest. Treat yourself!
Well I picked up 2 dozen oysters for tomorrow’s first course to go with a Dhondt Blanc de Blanc brut. The breakdown is 8 Moonstone(farmed), 8 East Beach(farmed), and 8 Pt Judith(wild picked) oysters. The wild are large and the farmed are smaller.
Have some Kumamoto and Olympia oysters from Taylor shellfish on ice for tomorrow.
I’ve learned to shuck the oysters before corks are popped. Unless you shuck oysters on weekly basis, technique can slip.
P Hickner
Shucking is easy. Here is a good video.
MORE HOW TO: Compliments of “edible EAST END” as told by Capt. Dave Berson of Greenport, New York • Illustration by Jackie Maloney
video
illustration
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Thanks Margie for the video & diagram. I’ve been taught to use the hinge method but based on Capt Dave’s demo I’ll try the 3 o’clock method today. Turns out I just happen to have one of those rubberized kevlar gloves handy. Hope I don’t lose as much oyster juice as Capt Dave does. BTW those Edible community publications are priceless…Cheers, Gary