The Opinionated Foodie: The Love (or Not) of Food and Everything That Goes with It

You know what makes an awesome friend?

Oysters.

Know what makes a super awesome-great-fantastic friend? Fresh oysters.

Really fresh oysters are not a part of our diet unless we are on vacation in the gulf.  Oysters around here in landlocked Tennessee are not terrible if you go to the right places, but the right places are few and far between.  We often settle for questionable oysters from the deli of our Kroger if we are making them at home.  They’re not bad, but they’re not much to write a blog about.

I, however, got lucky recently, and got to enjoy some very fresh oysters right in my own kitchen.  To make a long story long, my friend Emilee has family somewhere around the coast.  Once or twice a year, Emilee’s aunt and uncle make a trip to see these cousins, and they always bring back fresh oysters.  They call in their order the day before they leave and pick up the super fresh oysters on the way back to Tennessee.   They always bring a quart back for Emilee’s dad as well as for themselves. Well, when they went for a visit recently, Emilee’s dad asked for an extra quart for me.

Not only do I claim his daughter as a great friend of mine, but now he too is my friend for life.

So, I got to cook oysters in my own kitchen that just a day or two before were in the water. That, my friends, is fun.

We tried a few raw on crackers, and then I cooked a few too.  For half of my quart, I mixed half a cup of shredded Parmesan with half a stick of softened butter.  Then, I layered the oysters in a glass casserole dish and dabbed the butter and parm on top.  I broiled them for five minutes.

They were delicious, but if I could do it again, I would broil them without the cheese and butter first.  Then, I would top them off with the butter and parm once they started to get a good curl along the side.  Even though I would change the way I made them, they were still wonderful.

For the other half, I coated them in plain flour and fried them in shallow oil for around three minutes.  I then sprinkled them with salt.

They were fantastic.  Not to brag, but they were just as good as any I have had at the gulf.  They were simple and perfect.

Emilee’s dad said that when the trip is made again, he will ask again for a quart of fresh oysters for me.  I can not wait.  What a lucky girl I am.