Gulf Oyster Safety

OK, I've been remiss, reserved and retracted in terms of dealing with the fallout from the BP disaster, from which I still feel traumatized. I was out on the Gulf within eyesight of the burning rig as it went down, and can remember the horrible smell that permeated the air, accompanied by a burning of the eyes and throat.

What is certain is that the damage from the BP oil disaster will resonate for years, and many of the affects on the Gulf ecosystem are yet to become apparent. Along with that goes the affects on seafood and, hence, consumers health. What we can do is to educate ourselves, and I'd like to do my part in making information more accessible, and encourage information sources to be more diligent and accurate. With that in mind, let's take a look at this website:
www.gulfsource.org

An informational site setup by the state to provide test data on all types of seafood. I am in the process of assessing how useful the site actually is, and how to improve its utility. Please do the same.

Gulf seafood is safe, LSU researcher says, but oil-spill stigma lingers

We need a few more articles like this one:
http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20110803/BUSINESS/108020333

Oyster Poetry

OK, so I'll start this off, and would love to have contributions from blog visitors.

A Dozen

You can rest easy
Standing, seated
Say what you will
Eat as you like
Stay awhile, or not
What's important
What's not political, and is
Is right here
In front of you, and me
To share ...
A dozen

Why are oysters a keystone species?

Without oysters many coastal ecosystems would collapse. Each oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. A healthy oyster bed can  dramatically improve water quality, in addition to cycling water between the water column and bottom-dwelling species. In Louisiana and other Gulf states, they are considered crucial to coastal restoration.

Here's how some smart folks in Mobile are utilizing oyster shells to help restore the health of Mobile Bay: Alabama oyster bed restoration among first since Gulf oil spill

Wine and Beer / Oyster Pairings

I've been thinking about which wines and beers pair well with raw oysters. Conventional wisdom is that it's the crisp, dry, clean-finishing wines which work well. I would assert, however, that it greatly depends on the oyster. What may work beautifully with a Royal Miyagi may not pair well with an Atlantic or Olympia. The saltiness, brininess (which I distinguish from saltiness), creaminess/butteriness, sweetness, metallic quality, and other flavor profiles such as cucumber, seaweed, kiwi, etc., all must influence the sort of interaction which occurs with a beer or wine on the palate. Texture and temperature (of oyster and libation) would obviously also be a major factor.  Picpoul, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris are grape varieties which tend to get used a lot, but are they best. What do you think? I'll post some of my favorites here.

I'll begin with a beer pairing. One of my favorite combinations for moderately briny Pacific oyster is Pilsner Urquell, which I find stands up without overpowering, possibly due to the high carbonation and mild hoppiness.

Oyster Quote of the day

"Oysters are the most tender and delicate of all seafoods. The stay in bed all day and night. They never work or take exercise, are stupendous drinkers, and wait for their meals to come to them."
Hector Bolitho 'The Glorious Oyster' (1960)

Choupique on top

OK, oyster lovers who aren't from Southeast Louisiana may not be aware of the beauty that is "Choupique," the black bowfin fish (even more ancient than the Sturgeon) which produces a wonderful row. It used to be fairly inexpensive, and you'd sometimes hear it referred to as "Cajun" caviar.  Neither is now the case. It can now be ordered online, and it's not cheap ... generally around $10-$15/ounce. As far as I know, it has to remain refrigerated, and is seasonal to the winter months around here.  There might be other areas producing it that I'm not aware of. It pairs particularly nicely with raw oysters, as the shiny, firm, naturally black eggs are light in flavor, and don't overpower our local bivalves.

Oyster facts

Here's a tidbit, thanks to Ilene Polansky.

"There is no way of telling male oysters from females by examining their shells. While oysters have separate sexes, they may change sex one or more times during their life span. The gonads, organs responsible for producing both eggs and sperm, surround the digestive organs and are made up of sex cells, branching tubules and connective tissue."

Can coastal restoration and oyster beds coexist?

I find it's amazing that there are still people who make a mutually-exclusive argument, one way or the other. Of course they can coexist. We need well-funded smart people to figure out exactly how to make it work, but at least Earl Melancon Jr. has the right attitude:

"I think things have gotten to a level of action that we've not seen before because we're starting to see money pumped into the state, from one source or another," said Earl Melancon Jr., a professor of biological sciences at Nicholls State University who is assisting the state with the coastal restoration master plan revisions. "What I am glad to see is that finally things have moved to the point where there's the reality that some of this stuff is going to happen. ... I am seeing now, finally, more and more discussion in terms of 'Just how are we going to change the estuaries?' Now we're talking about 'Is there a way to have your cake and eat it too?' I'm of the opinion that if you're willing to manage things properly, you can."

The question is whether politics will get in the way.

Louisiana oyster industry struggles to cope with oil spill, coastal restoration efforts

Oyster Quote of the week

“If you don't love life you can't enjoy an oyster; there is a shock of freshness to it and intimations of the ages of man, some piercing intuition of the sea and all its weeds and breezes. [They] shiver you for a split second.”  - Eleanor Clark

An Oyster a Day

The benefits of eating oysters are well-known. For example, the National Heart and Lung Institute suggest oysters as an ideal food for inclusion in low-cholesterol diets. Oysters are an excellent source of vitamins A, B1(thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), C (ascorbic acid) and D (calciferol). Four or five medium size oysters supply the recommended daily allowance of iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese and phosphorus.

Jindal Administration destroys oyster beds in hopes of saving them

As reported here, Governor Bobby Jindal's administration ordered the opening of massive valves on the Mississippi River, flooding some of the nation's most prolific oyster fisheries with fresh water, killing off up to 80% of the oysters ion some beds.

While oysters can withstand large variations in temperature, oxygen levels and even salinity, for short periods of time, they apparently can't tolerate the uniformed actions of a governor who has been quick to criticize every step taken by the federal government over the course of the past few months. Imagine if the Obama administration had ordered the valve openings, Jindal would be screaming bloody oysterocide.

Jindals other big plan to construct 128 miles of sand berms has been almost as successful as his oyster kill plan. What is it that makes this man-size wunderkind think that this is the time for rash decisions, rather than studied, measured actions? Oh yes, political opportunism. A little more leadership like this might just complete the total destruction of our coast and fisheries.

Oyster Jubilee

Louisiana Oyster Jubilee 2010 will be held on March 27th, 2010
300 Block of Bourbon Street
Open to the Public

Get ready to enjoy Louisiana Oysters at the Fourth Annual Louisiana Oyster Jubilee. Join Louisiana's chefs, restaurateurs, oyster aficionados and others as they celebrate Louisiana's savory oysters.

2009 Participating Restaurants:

Acme Oyster House
Antoines
Remoulade
Bourbon House
Café Beignet
Café Giovanni
Café Reconcile
Chad's Bistro
Deanie's
Desire Oyster Bar and Bistro
Galatoires
GW Fins
Hoshun Restaurant
House of Blues
NOLA
Parkway Bakery and Tavern
Red Fish Grill
Wolfe's
Zea's Restaurant

Oysters - the Tudor version of cinema popcorn

Isn't it great that we live in a place where oysters are still "common man" food, where a dozen on the half shell doesn't set you back, $20 ... shuck that, California!
 
Oysters - the Tudor version of cinema popcorn
LONDON (Reuters) - Elizabethan theater-goers chomped on an exotic array of foods while enjoying the latest plays of the day, new evidence found at the sites of Shakespearean playhouses in London suggests.

Oddly Enough

Archaeologists say choice Tudor snacks included oysters by the cartload, crab and other shellfish like mussels, whelks and periwinkles.

Dried raisins and figs, hazelnuts, plums, cherries and peaches were also consumed in great quantities, according to experts who excavated The Rose and The Globe theatres on the south bank of the River Thames.

Baked blackberry and elderberry pies and sturgeon, common in British waters at the time, were also popular with the masses who packed the playhouses.
New published research also suggests that the theater diet varied along social and class lines.
Commoners, referred to then as "groundlings or stinkards" who paid just a penny to stand in the yard or pit regularly chomped on oysters.

"Oysters were in fact the staple diet of the poor, right up to the Victorian period, and certainly we find oyster shells by the thousand on nearly every archaeological site we do," said senior Museum of London archaeologist Julian Bowsher who excavated the two theater sites.

The gentrified classes, who paid more to sit on cushions in the galleries, were more likely to have munched on crab and sturgeon, he said. Sturgeon may well have been slightly more expensive than other fish at the time.

"Underneath the gallery seating, we found fragments of crab which could also have been more costly," he told Reuters.

There is evidence the better-off could also afford to snack on imported foods like peaches and dried fruits.

Museum of London Archaeology has published the findings in a book of the excavations, which began in 1988, called: "The Rose and the Globe: Playhouses of Shakespeare's Bankside, Southwark."
Authored by Bowsher and fellow archaeologist Pat Miller, it contains decades of research on all aspects of the playhouses from superstructure to dress accessories of the classes who attended.
The Rose was originally built in 1587 as a 14-sided polygon where many of Christopher Marlowe's plays, including "Doctor Faustus" and "The Jew of Malta," were first performed.

The Globe, home to many of Shakespeare's plays, was first built in 1599 by the Bard's playing company, burned down in 1613, was rebuilt in 1614 and, like all other London theatres, was closed down by the Puritans in 1642.

A modern reconstruction was opened in 1997.

State Reopens Louisiana Oyster Bed

KPLC-TV
Posted: Jan 19, 2010 6:28 PM Updated: Jan 19, 2010 6:29 PM

The following is a news release from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals will reopen Area 29 to oyster harvesting at sunrise Wednesday, January 20, 2010.  DHH evaluations of Area 29, located in Lower Calcasieu Lake, have determined the molluscan shellfish growing waters there are suitable for harvest of oysters.
DHH closed Area 29 on January 14, 2010 as a precautionary measure.  It is believed that oysters harvested from these waters may have been responsible for a norovirus outbreak in North Carolina last month.
Today, State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry and DHH Secretary Alan Levine signed the order to reopen this oyster harvesting area. This action rescinds the precautionary closure order, allowing oystermen to resume operations in Area 29.
The DHH Office of Public Health continues its regular monitoring of conditions in Louisiana's shellfish growing areas to ensure the public's health.  The Louisiana Oyster Task Force, an organization made up of oyster industry and regulatory agencies, supports the reopening.  Water standards for oyster harvesting areas are set by the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference and can be found at www.issc.org.  DHH has the authority to open and close these waters under LSA-R.S. 40:5,3.
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about DHH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov.

Oyster Facts

An average sized American oyster (Crassostrea virginica), as we find in the Gulf region, can filter about 50 gallons of water per day.

How Oysters May Have Saved the Human Race

Interesting little article on Tree Hugger

Smoking Oysters (heat)

As promised ... notes on heat-smoking oysters:

There's perhaps no other seafood which is more appealing to me than smoked oysters. Many of you may have had the canned variety, which are sold in most grocery stores. Obviously, the quality and flavor varies greatly, and the good ones are rather expensive. That got me thinking that there's really no reason at all that I shouldn't try preparing them myself.

My first try was not entirely successful, as I ended up with tiny chewy bits which even the cats weren't interested in. My technique, or lack thereof, was simply to place them on a sheet of foil, which I poked some holes in so the smoke could circulate better. I expected them to dry out quite a bit, but not to the extent that they did ... pretty much a total loss.

I adjusted my technique on the second attempt, however, and the results were far superior. What I was really looking for was a moderately firm but juicy oyster which I would ultimately marinate in a good olive oil. This time I started the process as before, placing the oysters on a piece of foil and poking a few holes in it to allow for better circulation (and for the oysters to drain a bit). I removed the oysters after smoking them for about 15 minutes at around 145 degress. As the temperature control in many smokers is difficult to measure, just keep an eye on them until they begin to shed some of their liquor, and begin to become more plump and round, under cooking them a bit is OK, because we're not finished with the process yet. The next step is actually to remove the oysters and place in a small pan then pour in enough extra virgin olive oil to completely cover them. Place back in the smoker at the same temperature for another hour or more, depending on how smokey you want them to become. Personally, when I taste the olive oil and get a slightly smokey (but not bitter) flavor, that's perfect. Just remove the pan and set aside to cool. Once they're near room temperature, I generally add some sliced raw onions, and a touch of white wine vinegar.  You can store these in the refrigerator, or even can them.

Besides just eating them straight or with some good bread, there are numerous ways to to use them, including:
- Throw a few in with your seafood pasta dish
- Use them on top of salads
- Make a delicious sandwich with whatever strikes your fancy (I like them with artichoke hearts, roasted piquillo peppers and a slice of good cheese)

Pearls ...

“Oysters are the most tender and delicate of all seafoods. The stay in bed all day and night. They never work or take exercise, are stupendous drinkers, and wait for their meals to come to them.”
Hector Bolitho 'The Glorious Oyster' (1960)

What's in an oyster ...

OK, I've been meaning to write this post for some time as I've had a few, we'll say, interesting discussions on the matter.

For millennia, oysters have been revered for their qualities as an aphrodisiac, and no place were they more sought after as an exotic and popular delicacy than in ancient Rome.  Originally imported from England, the Romans eventually stored and farmed them in salt water pools. Supposedly, they "fattened them up by feeding them wine and pastries." Hmm, I wonder if those "picky" English oysters would insist on cream scones and teacakes, or if they were OK with a cannoli or struffoli, maybe even a simple biscotti? As to whether those legendary Roman whoopie fests were at all "inspired" by the mass consumption of bivalves is up for debate, but it's clear that several civilizations throughout history have recognized oysters as having certain beneficial qualities for libido. Enough speculation.

What we know is that oysters contain high quantities of zinc and protein, both of which are thought to be necessary ingredients to in a healthy and sustained libido. They also contain compounds that have been shown to be effective in releasing sexual hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. These compounds are D-aspartic acid and NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate). Moreover, the scent and texture of a fresh briny oyster can be alluring and even stirring for many people.  Don't believe it? Go eat 2 or 3 dozen and check back in the morning.

I have a recipe I call "Roman Oysters." Nothing fancy, it's just basically grilled oysters with olive oil, a little garlic, red pepper, rosemary and sea salt (if needed). I wasn't really thinking about the not-so-fringe benefits when I created the dish eight years ago, but it turns out that rosemary and garlic are also both considered to be aphrodisiacs and olive oil contains vitamin E, so maybe you'd get a quadruple dip of goodness. Hey, maybe everyone would!