You Say Oysters, I Say Ersters

Coast Cuisine - Oct/Nov 2018

Writer and Shoofly Magazine editor Lisa Monti reminisces about her first oyster tasting, the beginning of a lifelong fandom for the delectable bi-valves. 
- story by Lisa Monti

Can you remember the first time you ate an oyster? It’s an unforgettable life’s moment for most folks. Oysters aren’t something people feel so-so about. Squishy and salty, the bivalves are either loved or loathed.
 
My initiation oyster was the real deal - right out of the water and cracked open on the beach. A white-haired great-uncle, a hearty soul, would row his skiff out a short distance and wrestle oysters off the reef the hard way, with tall wooden tongs. He popped one open and held it out to me to taste. What has stayed with me all these years is the salty taste and the pure freshness of that slippery delicacy.

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Detractors have trouble with the texture of oysters, or the notion of eating something raw. That must be even more off-putting to landlocked visitors than staring down at a fried soft-shell crab, with its crunchy legs shooting out from both sides of po-boy.
 
Fans of the oyster have no such worries when it comes to plump ones eaten raw or prepared in a well-turned dish. Without getting too Forrest Gump-ish, the versatile oyster can be grilled, charbroiled, scalloped, wrapped in bacon, baked, smoked, stewed, roasted, steamed and cooked into a dressing.

Charbroiled oysters at Trapani's Eatery, photo by Ellis Anderson

​Oyster cravings get stirred up this time of year by cooler weather and memories of holiday feasts. A line formed in our kitchen when the Christmas oyster patties came out of the oven. Making them was a production, led by my grandmother, that involved a gallon of oysters and green onions run through a hand-cranked grinder intended for meat.

All the ingredients came together to bubble in a big Magnalite pot before being spooned into small flaky shells from the McKenzie’s Bakery on Chef Highway. A piece of art depicting an oyster patty hangs in my kitchen as a reminder of that holiday treat.
 
Of course oysters are available any time of year, and fortunately, you can find them on loads of local menus if not in your own kitchen. (Note to self: it’s frying time again.)
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 A fried oyster po-boy is always a good option, although sometimes choosing between shrimp and oysters can make for some serious internal conflict. The humble, almost sweet, always reliable shrimp?  Or the oysters, delicate to the mouth, on the rich side (oysters Rockefeller, hello!) with a dash of extravagance. There’s a reason, don’t you suppose, that there are oyster bars and not shrimp or crab bars.

The last oysters that I ate were at C&C Farm to Fork restaurant on Main Street, listed on the menu simply as Gulf Fried Oysters, in a self-explanatory way. They were fried to a perfect crisp and served with delicious sauces, though the oysters were good enough to stand on their own.
 
There’s even a new festival celebrating the briny treats – the St. Clare’s Oyster Fest on October 13th (see details on our Upcoming Events page).  If it’s anything like the church’s annual Seafood Festival, it’s bound to grow into a local tradition. 
 
As a child on the beach trying my first raw oyster, maybe I didn’t appreciate how special that treat was at the time.  But I’m mightily grateful now for all of the fresh seafood in the Gulf. Catch it, cook it, order it and celebrate it. Aren’t we the lucky ones?
 
Below are a few of our Old Town restaurants known for their oysters.

Charbroiled oysters at 200 N. Beach, photo by Ellis Anderson

200 North Beach
200 N Beach Blvd
Bay St Louis
(228) 467-9388
Open 7 Days
 
Trapani’s Eatery
116 N Beach Blvd
Bay St Louis
(228) 467-8570
 
C&C Farm to Fork
Creative and sustainable Southern cuisine 
111 Main Street
Bay St. Louis, MS
(228) 344-3295
 
Cuz’s Old Town Oyster Bar & Grill
108 S Beach Blvd
Bay St Louis
(228) 467- 3707
Open 7 Days

The RAW Bar
118 N. Beach Blvd.
Bay St. Louis
Closed Mon/Tues.
 
Silver Slipper Casino’s Oyster Bar
Fresh seafood appetizers and entrees
5000 S Beach Blvd 
Bay St. Louis , MS 39520 
(228) 469-2777 
Open 7 days

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St. Clare Church Oyster Festival 
St. Clare Catholic Church 
236 S. Beach Blvd 
Waveland
10:00am to 10:00pm 
Free
Drawdown tickets are on sale now at the church—$50 per ticket. 

Seafood, bands, vendors, a $5,000 drawdown raffle, and more seafood! Welcome the Fall season with tasty oyster dishes and "sides" like gumbo, potato salad, fried shrimp plates and poboys, crab stuffed potatoes, cotton candy, and more! Live local entertainment including the David Mayley Band (1pm-3pm) and Monsters at Large with the Moran Brothers (6pm-9pm).  What a win/win--oysters and a drawdown!  ​