Love on the Halfshell: Oregon Oysters

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Amelie Rousseau, GoLocalPDX Contributor

February might be your last chance to slurp down Oregon’s choicest bivalves of the year. Your grandpa might have warned you to only eat oysters in months that end in ‘R.’ You can throw this myth out with last week’s Mercury, but the science behind the adage is real.

Oysters become full of sweet-tasting glycogen in the winter months. In early summer they start to spawn, becoming less sweet and more ‘fishy’ tasting. By late summer they are shriveled and flavorless.

Like most fresh food, oysters take on qualities from the climate in which they are grown. Estuary oysters have a heavenly creamy texture, while ocean-grown oysters are brinier.

The type of algae they feed on tints their taste to hints of copper, lemon or cucumber. The Olympia or Yaquina oyster (Ostrea lurida) is Oregon’s native species. Small and delicate, the pioneers and gold rushers happily feasted on them off Oregon’s craggy beaches.

The fun on the half shell continued until the little darlings almost went extinct. The Pacific (Crassostrea gigas) is now the most commonly farmed oyster in the world. Originating in Japan, the Pacific oyster has replenished the world’s supply that had dwindled from overfishing and disease. The Kumamoto (Crassostrea sikamea) is a newer Japanese transplant which also thrives this side of the Pacific.

For a hot oyster date, stop off at Dan and Louis Oyster Bar on Monday or Tuesday for happy hour prices all winter (208 SW Ankeny), or check out North Portland's Cajun eatery, EaT, which features oysters on the half shell, shooters, and small plates of baked oysters done up a dozen ways (3808 N. Williams Ave).

How to Shuck Oysters

If it’s your first time, take a shot of whiskey first. It might be awhile. Slide on rubber gloves or wrap your hand in a dish towel. Dig out that silly oyster knife you got at your wedding and thought you’d never use. Insert the knife a half inch from the hinge of the oyster until the knife goes in at least an inch. Twist the knife, prying the shell open. YouTube will make it look easy. It’s not. You have achieved master status when you can pry open the shell without spilling the briny liquor inside. Keep drinking whiskey until you have shucked enough or you have given up and had your wife do it for you.

Oysters Rockefeller

This recipe is built to impress. Oysters on the half shell are baked on top of garlicky spinach with a crispy panko and parmesan topping. Pair with an espresso stout.

Ingredients:

2 dozen oysters, shucked
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2 green onion, sliced
2 tablespoons celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons anise liqueur (optional)
Cayenne, salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Shuck the oysters placing them in a baking pan filled with rock salt to keep them level and prevent the juices from spilling.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the garlic, saute until fragrant, about a minute and mix half of the garlic butter into the breadcrumbs.
Add the spinach, green onion and celery to the pan and cook until the spinach wilts.
Add the anise liqueur, deglaze the pan and allow most of the liquid to evaporate and remove from heat before seasoning with cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the parsley and parmesan into the breadcrumbs.
Place a heaping teaspoon of the mixture onto each oyster followed by some bacon and the breadcrumbs.
Bake in a preheated 450F oven until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.

An urban farmer and master gardener, Amélie Rousseau writes for fellow explorers and eaters of the plant kingdom. It's a jungle out there.

Related Slideshow: Oregon’s Seven Best Winter Warmer Ales

Prev Next

Ill Tempered Gnome

Ill Tempered Gnome has the deep tone of the brown ale that it is. There is nothing ill-tempered about this beer besides the name. Oakshire, still in the shadow of its Eugene neighbor/brewery Ninkasi (almost literally being just blocks apart), produces the best winter beer in the state outside of Bend.

ABV: 6.8%

Photo Courtesy of Oakshire Brewery

Prev Next

Double Mountain Fa La La

There’s just something about Double Mountain, a Hood River Brewery founded by Full Sail alumni. They refuse to follow convention and continue to create one of the most consistently good and underrated beer products in Oregon. Their winter seasonal Fa La La La La is a big malty hop bomb. Try it in their reusable 16.9 ounce bottle – that’ll give you an excuse to visit the brewery to get your deposit back and enjoy even more of their product lines.

ABV: 7.6%

Photo Courtesty of Hood River Brewery

Prev Next

Deschutes Jubelale

In its 27th year, “Jubel” reigns as the king of Oregon’s winter beers, if not all seasonal beers. It is a dark, malty ale that, like many seasonal beers, varies ever so slightly from year to year. A clever public relations blitz around the label art each year precedes its release and creates a buzz long before the released product can give you one.

ABV: 6.7%

Photo Courtesy of Deschutes Brewery

Prev Next

10 Barrel Pray for Snow

While I picked up a six pack the night before this month’s anticipated blizzard, it did not work and there is no such beer as Pray for a Little Ice. Let’s hope AB/Inbev’s (Budweiser) recent purchase of Bend based 10 Barrel doesn’t impact the high quality of this beer in future years.

ABV: 7.6%

Photo Courtesty of 10 Barrel Brewery

Prev Next

Sleigh’r Doüble Alt Ale

Cutely named to sound like metal band Slayer, there is nothing else cute about this deep dark double alt ale. Brewed in a more traditional German style, don’t let the festive label fool you. This one will leave your with a ringing noggin if you aren’t careful. Ninkasi’s Total Domination IPA is their best known product. The Sleigh’r is decidedly better.

ABV: 7.2%

Photo Courtesy of Ninkasi Brewery

Prev Next

Abominable Winter

Hopwork's "Abom," as it is known for short, is by style an IPA (albeit a dark one). This Portland brewery known for its love of sustainable practices as much as beer itself, shines through all seasons. Its winter beer makes the cut for a variety of reasons, including its availability in environmentally friendly “pounder” 16 ounce can (that happens to fit perfectly in the pocket of a ski jacket for use in case of a long chair lift ride).

ABV: 7.3%

Photo Courtesty of Hopworks

Prev Next

Widmer Brrr

Widmer manages to make the hops shine in their winter seasonal, Brrr. Brrr, a red ale is of the lighter hued winter beers. Widmer has long proved that having corporate overlords as business partners doesn’t stop the production of a great product. Brrr boasts perhaps the coolest release party of any Oregon beer, taking over Grand Central Bowl annually for “The Big Chill” which features art, photo booths, bowling and of course BEER!.

ABV: 7.2%

Photo Couresty of Widmer Brewery