There’s an R in October- Finally We Can Eat Some Oysters!

Just kidding. It’s just an old wives’ tale that you should only eat oysters in the months with an r in the spelling. In the olden days, before good refrigeration, the likelihood of getting sick from oysters during the summer months probably was higher. Some oysters spawn in the non-r months and that can make them a bit watery, less flavorful and softer in texture, but for the most part we see nice oysters year round.

That being said, there’s something about the colder months that make you want to eat both mollusks and crustaceans. Florida stone crab season just opened, Nantucket cape scallops are about to open, Maine shrimp will be here in December and clams, mussels and oysters are all plump and looking good!

We’ve been seeing some lovely oysters lately. The Glidden points and Wiley points from the Damariscotta River in Maine have been so so plump they hardly fit in their shells. This week we received some Wiley points that were unusually large. Whenever we get in oysters this size I think of grilling or oven roasting. We have a recipe for barbecued oysters on this site along with an oysters Rockefeller recipe. Simply grilled or roasted in the oven with butter, garlic and herbs is great too. Today’s recipe usually uses large Pacific gigas oysters but larger Atlantic oysters work just fine. Roasted hoisin oysters with scallions. Enjoy!