Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Raw Paleo Diet Gallery => Display Your Culinary Creations => Topic started by: goodsamaritan on September 13, 2009, 02:18:01 pm
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When I buy oysters they are still muddied up.
So first thing is to brush away the mud with a pail of water.
Then:
1. Use your knife and chip away at the edge of an oyster exposing its gap, opening.
2. Use your knife and jam it in and twist it to open the oyster.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAbX4DNVT3A
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Cool! our oysters are tiny compared to thoes giants.
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A more detailed post with photos can be found here
http://www.myhealthblog.org/2009/09/13/how-to-open-oysters-in-pictures-and-video/
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/brushing-oysters.jpg)
Materials for washing oysters: a pail of water and a brush
The oysters I buy at the wet market are still full of mud. I have to ask next time why they don’t clean them up before they sell them to us.
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/oyster-muddy.jpg)
A muddy live oyster
So you get your muddy live oyster and brush it well while dipping it in the pail of water. Use a pail so you don’t waste running water via a faucet. Save water!
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/oyster-and-brush.jpg)
Use the brush on the oyster
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/oyster-clean.jpg)
The oyster is now clean
The oyster is now clean. Now it is time to open the oyster:
1. Use your knife and chip away at the edge of an oyster exposing its gap, opening.
2. Use your knife and jam it in and twist it to open the oyster.
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/oyster-and-knifing.jpg)
Clip the oyster edge to be able to expose a gap for the knife to go in
See the video for details:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAbX4DNVT3A
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/oyster-opened.jpg)
Oyster opened
Ta dahh… the oyster is now open and ready to eat! Raw of course. You want that zinc to be bio available don’t you? For the germ phobic, just dip your oyster in some organic vinegar or squeeze a lemon over it.
from http://www.myhealthblog.org/2009/09/13/how-to-open-oysters-in-pictures-and-video/
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nice Queen playing in the background
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My local healthfood market had oysters for sale today--first time I've ever seen them sold anywhere. I used your opening method, GS. The shells shattered and there were some shell bits in 2 of the 3 I ate. If I swallowed any I guess it's extra mineral nutrition. ;)
The water in the oyster is a bit too salty for me, but the flesh is nicely tender and other than the salt the mild flavor was very good, and they hold together well and come out of the shell easily even when raw. I can see why they are the favorite of the shellfish to eat raw.
I also tried the wild scallops. They taste better raw than cooked (cooked taste to bitter and tough to me), but there's still a slightly off taste and they're slightly mushy, so I'm still not a huge fan--not as good as most of the fish in a sashimi platter, but better than raw shrimp (which are very mushy). Maybe it just takes getting used to. By drinking mead with it instead of water I was able to enjoy it more.
Mussels and shrimp are the only foods so far that I've encountered that taste way, way better to me cooked than raw, and mussels are much easier to eat cooked than raw. When raw, they stick to the shells and come apart in pieces and taste swampy. When cooked they taste scrumptous, hold together, come out of the shell easily and the swampiness is completely eradicated. I could eat 1000 steamed mussels or shrimp, but one raw one is one too many. Oh well, I guess it's oysters for me when it comes to raw shellfish, and the occasional wild clams, which are too tiny to deal with most of the time. Sorry if this upsets anyone. I try to be always honest.
If wild clams were bigger, they would be my favorite shellfish to eat raw.
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I tried raw clams for the first time yesterday. Had a bitter taste. Didn't know what to think of that, didn't really like them either. They were live and wild caught. 3.99 a pound.
I do like big scallops. Not the tiny ones.
I still haven't tasted oysters yet.
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... raw clams for the first time yesterday. Had a bitter taste. Didn't know what to think of that, didn't really like them ...
That's why they add lemon I think .. to cut the bitter taste. Oysters and scallops do taste better than clams do. I like lemon on oyster and urchin, to cut the bitter taste of urchin and salty taste of oyster.
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I tried raw clams for the first time yesterday. Had a bitter taste. Didn't know what to think of that, didn't really like them either. They were live and wild caught. 3.99 a pound.
I do like big scallops. Not the tiny ones.
I still haven't tasted oysters yet.
Why that no good seller sold you MALE clams. Male clams always taste bitter. They have to be separated from female clams. Only the female clams taste good.
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Why that no good seller sold you MALE clams. Male clams always taste bitter. They have to be separated from female clams. Only the female clams taste good.
Interesting, it was in a supermarket called Sendiks. I'm sure it was a mix of both male and female.
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Mussels and shrimp are the only foods so far that I've encountered that taste way, way better to me cooked than raw, and mussels are much easier to eat cooked than raw. When raw, they stick to the shells and come apart in pieces and taste swampy. When cooked they taste scrumptous, hold together, come out of the shell easily and the swampiness is completely eradicated. I could eat 1000 steamed mussels or shrimp, but one raw one is one too many. Oh well, I guess it's oysters for me when it comes to raw shellfish, and the occasional wild clams, which are too tiny to deal with most of the time. Sorry if this upsets anyone. I try to be always honest.
Raw fresh living mussels turn into a quite tasty and delicious food when left in the fridge for a few days until the valves are no longer closed. The animal has then died and there is not need to open the shells :). Left even a few days more at temperatures below 5°C, they rot progressively and become usually even more tasty depending on rotting time and temperature.
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That's why they add lemon I think .. to cut the bitter taste. Oysters and scallops do taste better than clams do. I like lemon on oyster and urchin, to cut the bitter taste of urchin and salty taste of oyster.
I just remembered I've only tasted wild clams steamed so far (though I've tried farmed clams on the half shell and recall liking them somewhat). Wild clams taste great to me when lightly steamed--much better than raw oysters--so if they taste worse than oysters when raw that's another reason for me to not bother with raw clams, in addition to being too tiny to bother smashing open, although maybe the rotting technique would be worth a try.
Steamed mussels taste better to me than just about any other seafood, which was why I was surprised at how nasty they tasted raw. Maybe I'll try the rotting suggestion.
I think I may wash or soak the raw oysters in tap water to get rid of the salty taste. Why do people say to not do this and why do they say to be careful not to spill that nasty saltwater? It reminds me of when I was forced to gargle saltwater as a kid when I got a cold--yuck!
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Doesn't salt water from the ocean have a bitter taste?
I don't like rinsing food in tap water where I am from (fluoride, chlorine etc.). I would rather use some filtered water or spring water.
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Raw fresh living mussels turn into a quite tasty and delicious food when left in the fridge for a few days until the valves are no longer closed. The animal has then died and there is not need to open the shells :). Left even a few days more at temperatures below 5°C, they rot progressively and become usually even more tasty depending on rotting time and temperature.
My experience is that it's best to eat the raw mussels(and other raw shellfish) within 2-3 days after leaving them in the fridge. Left longer than that, the flesh of the shellfish starts shrinking heavily so that, after 10 days, the flesh is a pale shadow of its former self(no doubt due to water leaking away gradually along with multiple nutrients in it). I actually like the taste of fresh,raw mussels now though it took time for me to get used to such anacquired taste.
Incidentally, when getting used to the raw mussels, what I would commonly do is crack them open with a metal walnut-cracker, then tear the flesh out with my teeth and put the flesh in a glass. After depositing a very large number of raw mussel-flesh in the pint-glass, I would upend the glass with my hand covering the top, and leach the saltwater from it that way.
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Raw fresh living mussels turn into a quite tasty and delicious food when left in the fridge for a few days until the valves are no longer closed. The animal has then died and there is not need to open the shells :). Left even a few days more at temperatures below 5°C, they rot progressively and become usually even more tasty depending on rotting time and temperature.
Selling dead clams or mussels is a no no in our markets.
And when people cook clams or mussels, dead ones are thrown away.
Filipinos have the impression that dead clams or mussels are unhealthy and will make people sick.
Somehow I'm not so adventurous with this suggestion and be too afraid to try rotting mussels.
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Selling dead clams or mussels is a no no in our markets.
And when people cook clams or mussels, dead ones are thrown away.
Filipinos have the impression that dead clams or mussels are unhealthy and will make people sick.
Somehow I'm not so adventurous with this suggestion and be too afraid to try rotting mussels.
Sure, only live mussels are allowed for sale in the markets, here in France too.
As Tyler, I often eat them fresh and live and I like it this way, in particular the little bitterness. Yet they get usually much more tasty after 2 or 3 days or sometimes more in the fridge. As long as they smell and taste attractive I think we can eat them and I do it and have never observed any adverse effects. On the contrary, they are very easily digested. When left in the fridge for a longer time they either more or less dry and there is not much left to eat, as pointed out by Tyler, or they rot to such an extent that they smell repulsive if the atmosphere in the fridge is too wet. At this latter stage I don't eat them of course.
I can't see why such "aged" mussels might be more harmful to raw paleo dieters than high meat or "aged" meat.
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... When left in the fridge for a longer time they either more or less dry and there is not much left to eat, as pointed out by Tyler, or they rot to such an extent that they smell repulsive if the atmosphere in the fridge is too wet. At this latter stage I don't eat them of course.
I can't see why such "aged" mussels might be more harmful to raw paleo dieters than high meat or "aged" meat.
Do you think it makes a difference to age them still in shell or cut out of shell? If out of shell, do you think it's better to cut each into (smaller) pieces first before aging them?
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Do you think it makes a difference to age them still in shell or cut out of shell? If out of shell, do you think it's better to cut each into (smaller) pieces first before aging them?
I've never tried to do so and always left them in their shells, RawZi. In this way I don't have to open them, most of them open by themselves after a couple of days. They then simultanenously dry and rot slowly in aerobic conditions when stored in a fairly thin layer with the juices drained.
I guess that cut into pieces out of shell and soaked in their own juices in a container they'll rot much faster with probably different bacteria in anaerobic conditions. I don't know how long this remains edible. When out of shell, maybe an alternative option is just to age by drying a little bit the whole soft part of the animal without cutting in pieces.
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Incidentally, when getting used to the raw mussels, what I would commonly do is crack them open with a metal walnut-cracker, then tear the flesh out with my teeth and put the flesh in a glass. After depositing a very large number of raw mussel-flesh in the pint-glass, I would upend the glass with my hand covering the top, and leach the saltwater from it that way.
Why do it that way instead of rinsing or soaking the mussel flesh? Are there nutrients in the water or on the surface of the flesh that get washed away?
Interestingly, the mussels I ate didn't have a salty taste. Are there any freshwater mussel farming operations?
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Why do it that way instead of rinsing or soaking the mussel flesh? Are there nutrients in the water or on the surface of the flesh that get washed away?
That would mean using London tapwater which isn't exactly healthy, I would never consider washing any of my raw foods in it.
Interestingly, the mussels I ate didn't have a salty taste. Are there any freshwater mussel farming operations?
I doubt it.
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My experience is that it's best to eat the raw mussels(and other raw shellfish) within 2-3 days after leaving them in the fridge....
I tried the 3 day old raw mussels and unfortunately still cannot stand them. I've learned that mussels is one of my tastiest foods when steamed, but I hate them when raw. I'll stick to oysters when it comes to raw shellfish.
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... I've learned that mussels is one of my tastiest foods when steamed, but I hate them when raw. ...
I'm with you on that all the way, so I avoid mussels.
I have to find an oyster knife. I've never used one. I tried with a regular knife once on clam. I'm so chicken.
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How to eat Gigantic Raw Oysters
Eating raw meat is a delicious experience. Raw organic vinegar used here has live probiotic bacteria. Raw oysters here have the highest bio-available zinc. Who needs supplements when we have access to real super nutritious raw animal food? My 8 year old boy demonstrates how to eat gigantic raw oysters from Iloilo.
We first remove the oysters from the plastic bag. Do not wash the oysters. Get a dipping bowl with organic vinegar like Lola Conching’s vinegar. Dip a couple of oysters in just to be safe to disinfect them from possible bad organisms. Then use your chopsticks to pop oysters one by one in your mouth. What fun!
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/1-big-oysters-in-vinegar.jpg)
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/2-big-oysters-chopstick.jpg)
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/3-cush-will-eat-big-oyster.jpg)
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/4-big-oyster-popped-in-mouth.jpg)
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/5-big-oyster-needs-pushing.jpg)
From http://www.eczemacure.info/blog/2009/12/24/how-to-eat-gigantic-raw-oysters/
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You know, GS, I've mostly been very envious of you, given the vast variety of raw foods you have available in the Phillipines, with, seemingly, no stupid laws to ban any specific foods. However, in this case, I have an advantage over you - the extra-large raw oysters I routinely get in the UK are FAR larger than anything you've shown in this picture.
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Ha ha ha, please post a picture of the large UK oysters.
Maybe when I visit my cousin in his far province I can get to take a picture of their famed Aba Aba oysters which he says are as large as a hand.
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Ha ha ha, please post a picture of the large UK oysters.
Maybe when I visit my cousin in his far province I can get to take a picture of their famed Aba Aba oysters which he says are as large as a hand.
No (functional) camera right now, but I will make an effort to post photos on this forum by next summer, probably.
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I tried the 3 day old raw mussels and unfortunately still cannot stand them. I've learned that mussels is one of my tastiest foods when steamed, but I hate them when raw. I'll stick to oysters when it comes to raw shellfish.
Did they open this way? by waiting?
I'm handy with a knife, and will try it on oysters next chance I get, but I can see myself after trying to open 20 or more so mussels I might be left with some kind of mess possibly of my kitchen and hands.
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Did they open this way? by waiting?
I'm handy with a knife, and will try it on oysters next chance I get, but I can see myself after trying to open 20 or more so mussels I might be left with some kind of mess possibly of my kitchen and hands.
I tried raw mussels a couple of times and they were a total mess. Maybe I should age them.
I cracked cockles open recently with a nutcracker. That worked pretty well. They tasted good too.
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Waiting for the mussels to die(and therefore open their shells) is a non-starter as the amount of mussel-flesh is a lot less after spending many days in the fridge. If one can't handle the taste of raw fresh mussels at first, then a solution would be to take out the mussel-flesh put them all in a pint-glass, and then turn the glass upside down with a hand to cover the mussels and not let them out, but with enough of an opening to let the seawater around the mussels to get out. Worked for me ,anyway.
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Mussels are indeed messier to eat raw than steamed. That may be why oysters are the shellfish most commonly eaten raw--they are in decent shape raw and easier to eat and tastier raw.
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Do you have to disinfect the oysters to eat them raw?
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??? ???
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Do you have to disinfect the oysters to eat them raw?
Take a look at wild animals in nature. Do they disinfect anything before they eat it?
I've eaten raw oysters that have been dead for ~1 week. Full of bacteria. Smell is quite strong, but they're still nutritious.
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Do you have to disinfect the oysters to eat them raw?
If you are the one opening them, no.
If you buy it in a bag where you don't know who handled it, dip it in vinegar.
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One of my fav so yummmy :D
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Do you have to disinfect the oysters to eat them raw?
Yeah, I soak mine in bleach and then cook them at 1000 degrees Celsius for two hours to make sure I kill every last evil germ. Of course, there's nothing left to eat at that point, which further reduces the chances of ingesting an evil germ. Phew!
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With oysters in the USA, it's very important to be careful about your source. Oysters from the Gulf of Mexico area (Louisiana, Alabama, etc.) are often not safe to eat raw. Their food handling regulations are lax and poorly enforced. From the Chesapeake Bay area, the oysters are safe.
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Hmmm I've been able to find some raw (presumably dead, though??--they didn't SAY live...) oysters at my local grocery store...they are still in the shell. The sign said they are wild harvested...but I'm not sure from where. I will ask next time I go, though.
cherimoya_kid--Do you mean if they are already shelled, about the ones unsafe to eat raw? Aren't the ones you shell yourself probably OK? I've eaten at least 8 and haven't died yet!!! :-D
I am SO jealous of all you guys who can get fresh LIVE seafood! Everything I can find is previously frozen...boo :-( But at least I've located raw wild tuna, scallops, oysters and Alaskan salmon! Someday I will live near an ocean or sea........
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Oysters in the shell are alive. If any have died in transit, one would not eat them. They die when you open them. Live oysters from clean waters that you open with an oyster knife can be eaten raw. There are other ways to prepare them that involve cooking, no need to discuss that on this forum. If you need to see how to open them, I recommend youtube. An oyster knife has a firm, short blade and is not dangerous to use. There is a knack to opening oysters, but it's not hard to learn. Good oysters that I buy in the winter months come from the Pacific Northwest, northern California through British Columbia.
Oysters in the jar are dead, are are not for eating raw.
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Ohh, wow, thanks eveheart! That really helps! So I guess the in-shell ones must be live. I saw they also had ones in a jar. Good to know I picked the right kind!
I bought an oyster knife, but I think it was really crappy quality because it just bent when I tried to open the oysters with it. I then tried a flathead screw driver, which works wonderfully LOL!
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If you open live oysters, sometimes you can still see them alive in their half shell. Like so:
Oyster Still Alive Shelled and will be Eaten (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvj3F8u76QY#)
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Oh gosh, GS you and your kids are too funny!!! I love it!
I don't think my oysters were breathing when I opened them, though haha. I probably would have noticed if they were!! ;-) Is that a bad thing?
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cherimoya_kid--Do you mean if they are already shelled, about the ones unsafe to eat raw? Aren't the ones you shell yourself probably OK?
I had SERIOUS food poisoning from some Gulf oysters on the half-shell back in in 2006. They didn't taste bad, either, so...be careful with the Gulf oysters.
I got them at a restaurant, so maybe they had been shelled earlier, like the day before. However, I have heard from several fish sellers that Gulf oysters are much less carefully handled.
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Hm...thanks for the warning. I'll have to check with the store and see if they know where they're sourced from next time I go grocery shopping. I don't want to get food poisoning!!! :-X
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just wanted to update this thread...
first off, gs - thank you so much for this post, it compelled me to try. and to all of you who replied, i was able to make what i feel are somewhat "educated" decisions about trying something new. i did buy some live oysters, and i'm so glad i did! delicious! wonderful! can't wait to do it again! i didn't have an oyster knife, and didn't really need to...
washed the oysters off real good (ya, they were a little cruddy... btw, i imagine if you bought them cleaned already, you'd be paying more for them...). i then placed them in some cold fresh water to "soak" for less than 10 minutes. the oysters ended up opening slightly on their own, perhaps they were gasping for saltwater??? but it did allow me to sneak a large, somewhat flat, stainless spoon between the halves to coerce them open (inserted spoon while submerged. when i took them out of the water, they closed again). no broken shells or bits. once open, the spoon seemed to "scoop" the oyster out with minimal effort. trying to remove the first one from the shell by hand, just mangled the poor little fella... but i ate him anyway! rinsed the "meat" off with running cold water, and didn't experience anything bitter or overly salty. no need for vinegar, or lemon juice with these guys, they were just good!
some replies here got me to pick up some fresh, unfrozen clams, too. treated them the same, but they didn't open when submerged. a gentle rap with a small hammer was enough to break the shell, mostly into manageable size pieces. again, a (smaller) spoon scooped out the clam with minimal effort, rinsed them under running water (to remove the few smaller chips that occurred during the rap with the hammer), and i soon had seven whole, unmangled clam buddies on a plate. didn't find them to be bitter, overly salty, or in need of lemon or vinegar... they were tasty, too!
perhaps it was rinsing, or maybe my attitude, but this went so well for me, i can't wait to try again!
as for the fresh, unfrozen sea scallops i got (it was a day full of new attempts!)... the flavor was fine, but the texture was too soft and gooey for my liking. used to eat these cooked in butter, and they were far more appealing in a more "firm" condition. i don't know if i'll buy these again, but i'm willing to try the smaller bay scallops to make sure. i'm hoping they are of a different consistency, because i really do miss the cooked versions of scallops, they were a treat when growing up! yum yum!
in the same way i truly appreciated this thread, i hope others find this additional info useful!
thanks again, everyone!
p.s. currently living on the gulf, and even after the bp oil debacle (still makes me sick to my stomach to think about that...) these items, if they were "fresh" from this area, didn't make me sick... the claim about gulf seafood being "unsafe" may be somewhat unfounded? time will tell...