It is well known that you can eat fresh oysters in the months with "R". Now it's September - GREAT! Let's get started! Because ever since the Oyster that changed my life in New Orleans, I have loved raw oysters. We went to the Bluffton Oyster House, where earlier this year I was introduced to the small, sweet May River Oysters. Unfortunately they are closed on Sunday and Monday, so we went to Captain Woody's just down the road. We ordered a dozen raw oysters plus an egg sandwich, just to fill in around the edges. The egg-and-sausage sandwich was quite good, with it's side of fruit and home fries.
But the goal was oysters! And this is where I learned not to order oysters as soon as the season opens. Because, to keep the restaurant open through the non-R months, they lay in a supply of frozen oysters. And just because the new season starts doesn't mean they have used up all their frozen oysters. This is what a fresh oyster looks like:
And this is what we got:
They were definitely May River Oysters and therefore pretty good, but they were unusually plump and had a watery, soft consistency. The kind of consistency you might get from being frozen and thawed. We asked the waitress if they had been frozen but she assured us "No, they were shucked this morning!" Shucked this morning does not mean fresh; sometimes it means thawed out this morning and then shucked. Previously Captain Woody's on Hilton Head Island has done right by the oyster, as when we went to their March Oyster Roast. But this may have been a little too early in the season. Next time I will try to wait until October.
Two years ago: Back in St. Louis
Three years ago: Walrus Ivory Earrings
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