Why am I so excited? Well not only are oysters one of my favorite shellfish, I mean what’s not to love: an excellent source of zinc, iron, calcium, vitamins A and B12, low in calories, varied in flavor and texture not to mention that when eaten raw on the half shell it’s like taking a bite out of the sea. Bliss!
I like mine plain. On occasion with a little lemon, possibly horseradish or a simple mignonette, never cocktail sauce.
As part of the celebration, I went to a Slow Food NYC event at Jimmy’s No.43: Oysters & Beer. Two hours spent enjoying Mystics and Peconic Pearls shucked and served to us while listening to the oyster farmer, Karen Rivara, from the Noank Oyster Cooperative school us on everything oysters. Karen walked us through such varied topics as seeding, how to tell the gender of an oyster, loss rates in production, water rights and what if one day we were to use oysters/mussels to clean the water around NYC including that of the Gowanus Canal…
Fun factoid: the aquatic flavors imparted on an oyster are often referred to as the merroir, much like wines have a terroir.
Peconic Pearls, Mystics with a Diversey & Lille(e)
Naturally, the oysters were amazingly fresh since they were harvested Tuesday.
As for the beers well know that Jimmy’s No.43 is beer heaven and while I started the night with a Green Flash West Coast IPA (quite hoppy with a medium body and copper colored), I finished the oysters off with the Two Brothers Castelain Diversey and Lill(e), a biere de garde collaboration between a Chicagoan and French brewery that was slightly sweet and full bodied.
Oysters & Beer, aw shucks!
Judging oysters by their shells:
Mystics (green hue), Peconic Pearls (red hue)
Now that sounds like a fabulous meal, if only there weren’t oysters (sorry, can’t do it, I’ve tried). But Mr. Acorns would have been the perfect date for you 😉