Fun fact, you can use oyster shells to make cement. Or, you can use crushed oyster shells as aggregate in concrete. The ancient Romans used oyster shells to make cement, and some of that cement is still around today!
Another one is that oyster shells were thrown at the British troops to injure them before the 'Boston Massacre' took place. Those things can be deadly.
@@benn454 Depends on how it's made. It's all lime at the end of the day. Limestone or shells, doesn't matter. Heck, limestone is quite often FORMED from sea life.
@@benn454yesnt roman concrete on itself is just as durable as our modern concrete, and for some uses actually is just better, because of its self healing capabilities in rain. however: you cant mix it with steel, vastly limiting its use in modern building processes.
Yep, my understanding is that until trains were around, oysters were a coastal food only. I'm not Indiana, but close enough to it that my only experience with oysters is tinned. The meal seems tasty but then again, it's 90% butter.
I have seen a list for an early 19th century store in southern Illinois and they listed a barrel of oysters. Their supplies were coming from Saint Louis. I would imagine they could move the same way through the Great Lakes. You would have to remember this is the Early 19th century to be in Indiana , Ohio and Illinois.
Just had oysters yesterday here in the Philippines, it had risotto underneath in the shell, baked, downed with craft beer! a Chinese dry pickled plum/apricot sour beer and a hazy IPA! lovely!
Archaeologist here and I did an archaeological excavation in downtown Lexington, KY 3 years ago. Because of the role Lexington played in the development of the railroads we would find what was considered high dollar goods at some of the sites including oyster shells. We found a few locations that had refuse from resturants catering to the folks coming in on the train.Oysters would be caught, put in barrels of salt water, alive, and shipped inland to be served to wealthy patrons. Unfortunately because of the city and the short sightedness of city officials a lot of valuable information about the early days of Lexington's development has been destroyed because of large projects like the new Rupp Arena were pushed through with NO archaeology completed, but we are fortunate to preserve at least a few slivers of the past to help understand how the city functioned as it grew.
@@natesmith3065 ideally I would like to see the city to see up exhibits of some of the artifacts. Really what we need is people to pressure the city to make it required for permits to have archaeology done on downtown construction projects. We have lost so much already, and every time they build new construction Kentucky heritage is lost forever.
@@aveleziii the irony of Kentucky politicians talking about 'importance of preserving Kentucky Heritage' only to turn around and plow it all under is ridiculous. And it's not just Lexington it's across the state. TN, OH and WV make millions a year off of highlighting their cultural history, especially Native American mound sites. Meanwhile almost none of Kentucky's mounds are owned by the state and as such have no parks, Museums, or heritage trails (all of which generate revenue) to showcase them.
When I was a kid in fla (1970s) we would harvest our own oysters and clams, and eat them right off a giant grill at my grandaddy's hunting camp. He would also cook swamp cabbage. So good.
Swamp cabbage is delicious, had that with my grandpa a few years back. It's too bad the trees are endangered now, its mostly not legal to have anymore.
Those historcal findings sure do say a lot about the health of our oceans then vs now, sigh. Also- this is a really sweet video. Ryan, I'm a born & raised coastal New Yorker, yet I've only had oysters twice despite knowing how incredibly nutrient dense they are. And I appreciate the oyster shucking tutorial, as I've never done it myself either. 🙂
mussels, too, are REALLY good for you (with the standard shellfish precautions taken into consideration, of course)--definitely something you should check out as well! definitely one of the shellfish of choice up here a little more northeast.
The maryland statehouse was made with oyster moater. I remember the beach parking g lot as a kid being paved with crushed oyster shells in the 80s. They would cut up bare feet in a flash. But they were cheaper than blacktop and stones according to my neighbor.
The Past Times podcast read an article from a old Atlantic City (iirc) newspaper a while ago which discussed the idea of paving streets with oyster shells. Could be a clever way of reusing common waste, even if it came off as a little too lowbrow for them.
Yep. Grew up with oysters. Was on a boat by two years old. Had oyster shell driveways . Everyone did. Didn't like them until I got older so ironically I've never shucked one myself.
They were considered poor folks' food in England too. There were dock workers who rebelled because that's all they were ever fed. I remember as a girl, my Nana's cook books often said to add oysters to steak'n kidney pudding, as a way of padding out more expensive beef.
I had a friend from Canada who lived near the cost and she hated lobster because when she was growing up it was so cheap they ate it often and she got sick of it. I told her here it’s an extremely expensive luxury, so of course I love it! 😂
@@cassieoz1702 i deleted my comment i thought you had written "New England". There was a lobster revolt in New England where prisoners considered it cruel to be forced to eat lobster. I don't know about England and oyster revolts.
Born, raised and lived in Maryland. There are roads that are fully comprised of oyster shells. Whether the Bay or the Ocean, these roads exist. Sadly, I'm not an oyster fan, but my family is.
My health practitioner recommended occasionally enjoying smoked oysters in olive oil because they are so nutritious: high in B12, Zinc, low-cal protein, and antioxidants. Who knew? I sprinkled them with garlic and onion powder and enjoyed them on top of a salad, and they were absolutely delicious! And the olive oil from the can made a smoky, seafood-y and delicious base for the salad dressing, sort of like adding anchovies to a dressing would.
I really enjoy your videos. They are calming, well put together, and informative. I look forward to sipping coffee on Sunday morning and watching them every week.
As a fellow ocean-deprived Midwesterner, I can relate to getting super enthusiastic about any and all seafood. For those lucky enough to live near the coast, it may not seem like a big deal since it's readily available and cheap, but here seafood is a special occasion treat.
An old school can opener is a good tool to open an oyster without cutting yourself, the pointy type that makes the triangle hole, not used much anymore.
I'm from Maryland and while I love the oysters from the Chesapeake I love sampling oysters from all over North America. Every location is different because of where the oysters grow or raised.
@@chrisdonovan8795 i just started working at a fishmonger and yeah you have to be real careful shucking, it takes a bit of force to get into the right spot and twist but misplaced force will send the sharp end of the shell right into your fingertip or the shucking knife right into your hand
Wonderful video. But I must confess that I never heard of the term "oyster tavern". Oyster bar and oyster house are the terms we used in NYC for many years. The latter used most often. When making fried oysters, have you ever included bacon bits in the batter? It adds much flavor to the dish. How I wish I could just walk to the shore, get myself a bunch of oysters, and just munch on it for dinner. While I'm at it, I'd love to get sea weed, sea salt, and mebbe catch a few fish. Oyster shells also make for great decorations such as wreaths, candle holders, wall decor, and used in home fish tanks.
Oysters are so good! Very informative video! Kinda makes me wonder about possibly covering the indigenous experience contemporary to the time period the channel covers. It's definitely something I'd enjoy seeing more of.
what blows me away is how simple most of your recipes are, Ryan! But so darned good i've cooked a few at home. very informative video, as always with this channel. Glad to have subscribed!
When my grandfather moved to Jefferson county Washington State back in the 70s he would walk down to the beach and crack them open and eat them raw on the beach unfortunately due to red tide you can't do that In the same location anymore
Love oysters! September is just around the corner for us. We live in Florida and we follow the guidance to eat oysters only in months with an “R”, as all the non-“R” months are way too hot to safely harvest oysters. The bacteria levels in the water are too high with the heat. But, I can’t wait, oysters starting in September and stone crabs in October. Good times…good times.
That was always our guide growing up, too. We kids would go clamming at the beach and bring back buckets home and mom would steam them for us to eat by the fire. Yum!
Oysters, due to pre industrialization water quality, were so prevalent in American brackish and saltwater regions that the floor of the water itself was completely covered in healthy oysters. Now many of these areas, like the Chesapeake Bay are heavily polluted killing much of the shallow water Oyster habitats.
Always good to see Ryan. One of the best presenters on the whole of TH-cam. Fact. 👍👍👍 People have been eating oysters forever - the prehistoric settlement of Skara Brae, on Orkney, had vast rubbish middens, which were largely composed of Oyster shells.
Fried oysters can be hit or miss, even in a place known for them. Ot really depends on the season and where they’re pulled from. The taste is supposed to be the richness gained from frying with at most a slight chew, and a burst of flavorful saltiness.
Hard part is mostly not over cooking them when frying. If they are all very close to the same size it's not too bad but had a number of places they'd over cook them and they get rubbery when you do.
I live in Mississippi. Moved down here in 79 to work the external tank for the shuttle. Oysters were famous for storing outdoors. You go out and get piles of them and dump water on them from time to time. As long as you don't let them freeze, you're good. It was a way to store protein.
Excellent demonstration and recreation of a cool colonial dish. I love seafood in general, including shellfish like clams and mussels, but oysters always seem to have a strong off putting taste to me, even when cooked. Maybe that lemon is a good idea then. Glad it turned out well!
Back in the mid-1990s I had a friend who introduced me to oysters. Despite both of my parents growing up in New Jersey, I grew up in Central Texas. We were 4 hours away from the coast and we never had oysters. Even back then I knew about my food allergies, so we had to make sure wherever we went that we might run into oysters, especially fried oysters, that the dishes didn't have corn in them. Oysters Rockefeller was the first dish I ate. I liked them, but I don't mix well with bacon and I didn't that day either. Not as badly as eating straight bacon, but not good. The next time it was raw, on the half shell. My sister told me how she and Mom went to Cape Cod and had them. She wasn't thrilled, but I was. At that time I wasn't eating tomatoes so I just put the oyster on a cracker and put a bit of horseradish on them. I liked them more and I wasn't eating anything that gave me problems. And, after checking to make sure the oysters were not breaded with either corn starch or corn meal, because I'm extremely allergic to corn, I had fried oysters. I loved them. Now, whenever I can find oysters I will eat them either raw or, if it is safe, fried. The only place I know right now in town, they put corn starch as part of their first dipping for their fried oysters, but their raw oysters... I'm a fan.
@humanspecieseradicationmedia yeah, and I have trouble with peppers too, the hollow ones, like bell and chili peppers (I also have problems with black pepper but not as bad as hollow ones.)
Awesome show! A Minorcan from St Augustine showed me this trick. Try using a shorter, medium sized, flat head screwdriver instead of a shucking knife, and use light inward pressure while applying most of your strength twisting to pry the knuckle on the oyster. The dull head will help prevent cut fingers. Wiggle the head into the knuckle for more surface area on the inner shell. Also make sure you put a lot of alcohol on any oyster shell cuts you get, you’ll be glad after a few days. Hope this makes sense. Your content is outstanding!
My grandfather talks about when times were good during the great depression of 1930s; his father's way of doing a famcy thing for the family was to bring a basket of steamed oysters home from town. Which is to say, the local tavern, down by the dockside. This was Dekalb County, middle Tennessee 1930s . The oysters were shipped wet in barrels. Apparently just shaved uce packed around wooden barrels they were then boiled by placing 4-5 dozen oysters in a wooden basket over a steel wheelbarrow, which had a small brazier full of a smoky charcoal fire, when the oysters started opening they were placed around the edges to stay hot for an hour or so. What wasn't sold for 2/ penny each was sold 2 baskets for a dollar. 5 dozen was often more like 75-80: whatever would fit in a (1/2?) Peck split oak basket. They had nickel beers & 2 raw or 1 cooked oyster on the half shell. BYO hot sauce.
Anything swimming in that much butter is going to be good. I like fried oysters better because they firm up more. It's a consistency thing and they taste less briny, more earthy.
Well done sir. Cooking a dish with egg to thicken a sauce without over cooking it into scrambled egg or being too cautious and undercooking it is not easy. Lots of people making hollandaise sauce and authentic carbonara can attest to that. When it works, the richness the egg gives to the recipe is just a delight.
We may need advice on how to deal with a "surfeit" of sea lamprey, though in smaller amounts than what supposedly killed some king back in Europe. Those were able to migrate inland after a 19th century canal was dug, so I guess they would be off topic in the Great Lakes region. Did anyone eat those in the St Lawrence River or in coastal America?
Flat headed screwdriver works a treat. Sawsall blades make the best shucking knives, grin off the teeth, shape the blade, add a dull edge, broom handle handle. Thin slightly flexible and durable as hell.
I was raised in the greater Toronto area and oysters are _very_ exotic to me. I'm mad about them. Raw with lemon juice and Tabasco paired with ice cold beer is heaven in the hand. My mom used to add a can of oysters and butter to cream of celery soup. I haven't had that in years.
As a kid I remember the oyster raker boats going out into Chesapeak Bay early in the morning. Big row boats with long rakes that they raked up the oysters and put them in bushel baskets to take to market. Sadly it is all just a memory now.
The Union Oyster House opened in Boston in 1826, known then as Atwood & Bacon. It is the oldest restaurant in Boston and is still operating to this day.I believe it is the longest running restaurant in the US. 💕
Great video! I also didn't grow up near the sea, so Oysters were a rare treat for me. The host was very genuine and really did a great job with showcasing the recipes (the sauce from the first recipe looked like liquid gold)!
take a general butter knife(like you'd find at Walmart or dollar store), go about a 1/2 inch from the tip, and bend slightly. You want about a 15-30* bend...now you have a makeshift shucking knife for opening and "cleaning" oysters/clams.
From Michigan along the coast we had a seafood processing plant nearby so we got oysters. Definitely find out what type they are and look up what seasons they’re good in my first time trying oysters they were definitely the wrong kind for the season and they had a very muddy fishy taste. Took me years to try them again and I love them now!
Hiya! I was born and raised on Cape Cod. My family has been there since the 17th century. Even today, many folks have driveways made of crushed oyster shells 😊
I too, am a boy from Indiana. I truly love this channel. I grew up eating a lot of the dishes you cook (of course, more modern versions), and grew learning the history of the region (South Bend area in particular). I need to try to replicate this oyster dish...sounds delicious.
Totally love oysters in any form and was fortunate to grow up near the NE/Mid-Atlantic coasts so there was always plenty of reasonably priced fresh ones available. Still live near the coast but they're not plentiful or cheap anymore. Same hold true for lobsters.
This is great. It reminds me of the days when the cheapest lunchtime meal on the Oregon and Washington coasts was a steamed Geoduck. That was a while ago, and now it's a nearly unaffordable delicacy. I also fondly remember Oyster Fritters. I am confused about this "sip a beer" thing though. Who does that?
While kayaking in the sounds of BC, we came across a few of those shell mounds. Tribes would go from island to island, stay and eat for a while, then move on. Crazy to see these mounds that are still there after minimum 100 years, possibly much longer
I used to go buy crabmeat and oysters with my grandmother in Cambridge MD. The entire parking area was covered in oyster shells. She was an excellent shucker too and great cook of Eastern Shore foods. ❤
I recently discovered that I absolutely LOVE to eat oysters (they're on sale 12 for $12 at every Whole Foods every Friday)! I even hand-forged my own custom oyster shucking knife
Oyster shells crushed are still a popular item to scatter for domestic hens to aid them to make good shells. In my local farm shop they sell crushed oyster shell for poultry by the sack.
Fun fact about the East Coast Interior and Oysters. A lot of the industry was within the river valleys to the west along the Atlantic. I am in the Connecticut River Valley in Western Mass, as an example locale. As teamsters would deliver full loads of goods to port cities, their otherwise empty loads would be packed with oysters, to a larger than realized degree, and the few material goods the western towns were in need of, since they manufactured most everything. Most older garbage pits, and midden piles, in unexpected places like a New Hampshire mountain meadow, or in a random forest along a stone wall, can be attributed to this trade of necessity. No reason to return empty, when there are stomachs to be gorged back home!
Turtle Mound near New Smyrna Beach, FL, is the largest shell midden in the US, mostly from oysters. It's so tall it can be seen some distance from the shore and was used by early Spanish explorers as a navigational landmark.
Id love to see a “best of” feast, where you guys make 2 or 3 of your favorite dishes that use similarish ingredients, and just, eat it around a table and examine how the flavors mesh
I live on the Chesapeake bay. One of the prime memories from my childhood was grabbing an oyster in the water, then wrapping it in tin foil, throw it over a home made fire on the beach. Once steamed, we would open it, use the bottom half shell as a scoop and dip it in the bay water, then eating it, water and juice together. Something primal about that.
That fried oyster dish immediately reminded me of a similar dish in the Cantonese/Teochew cuisine, where you similarly fry small oysters in a thick, egg-heavy batter that forms into a pancake. It’s served with fish sauce sometimes to further intensify the taste.
Love the history lesson that went along with this recipe. I find it interesting hearing about how seafood used to be considered for poor people and now its very pricey to buy. This recipe also seems,s like a good entry into eating oysters bcuz the texture always looked slimy to me.
Marylander here. The key to a good oyster fritter is to use the liquor as the main liquid component of your batter. Then you get the deep oyster and "sea" flavors throughout. I usually just add self rising flour directly to a bowl of oysters and their liquor. I'm curious about using breadcrumbs though.
Greetings from the American Coastal South. Since I love history I shall share wisdom! Saw a chef attempt our Oyster Stew with 2 pans-- I laughed. One pan and a kitchen timer or an old timey watch. Can of oysters and the brine. If you live in Maryland you know what that is, Virginia too. A pan. medium heat, have ready about 1/4 cup of heavy cream and maybe a pat or two of real butter and Old Bay Seasoning if you have it or historic celery seed at least dash of nutmeg or anything similar to what is in Old Bay. Heat those Oysters and brine for 2 minutes only. they will curl. Then, add your cream and butter for an addition 1/2 to 1 minute. makes 2 mugs.garnish with spices and a side glass of Sherry. This is old and authentic and from Eastern Shore and surrounds. Cheers. and I love how the gent at Townsends pairs oranges with seafood!
Fun thing about how oysters were eaten by "both rich and poor". I've worked on an archeological dig of an upper class site which was occupied (by several successive mansions as prior incarnations burned down) from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. Now, the family which lived there left records: they wrote how they are beef, and mutton, and fish. They did not record any consumption of oysters or other shellfish. And yet - our dig shows so very, very many oyster shells. We don't even keep the oyster shells; we merely record that we found them, weigh them, and throw them out. Rich and poor alike ate oysters, yes, but rich people did not care to admit to it.
![TEEDEE TADA - DIAMOND NARAKORN X LEGO LYKN [Special Dance Performance]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QgtZedFeumA/mqdefault.jpg)
Fun fact, you can use oyster shells to make cement. Or, you can use crushed oyster shells as aggregate in concrete. The ancient Romans used oyster shells to make cement, and some of that cement is still around today!
He mentions that in the video. However, it seems oyster concrete was not as strong as true stone concrete.
Another one is that oyster shells were thrown at the British troops to injure them before the 'Boston Massacre' took place. Those things can be deadly.
They burnt em for the lime to make tabby.
@@benn454 Depends on how it's made. It's all lime at the end of the day. Limestone or shells, doesn't matter. Heck, limestone is quite often FORMED from sea life.
@@benn454yesnt
roman concrete on itself is just as durable as our modern concrete, and for some uses actually is just better, because of its self healing capabilities in rain.
however: you cant mix it with steel, vastly limiting its use in modern building processes.
Yep, my understanding is that until trains were around, oysters were a coastal food only. I'm not Indiana, but close enough to it that my only experience with oysters is tinned. The meal seems tasty but then again, it's 90% butter.
That's butterphobic.
Everything’s better with butter…and bacon.
Should rename it to "butter with oyster sauce". No complaints from me!
I have seen a list for an early 19th century store in southern Illinois and they listed a barrel of oysters. Their supplies were coming from Saint Louis. I would imagine they could move the same way through the Great Lakes. You would have to remember this is the Early 19th century to be in Indiana , Ohio and Illinois.
totally raw, smoked or rockafeller. thats how i enjoy them here in coastal Texas
Just had oysters yesterday here in the Philippines, it had risotto underneath in the shell, baked, downed with craft beer! a Chinese dry pickled plum/apricot sour beer and a hazy IPA! lovely!
Archaeologist here and I did an archaeological excavation in downtown Lexington, KY 3 years ago. Because of the role Lexington played in the development of the railroads we would find what was considered high dollar goods at some of the sites including oyster shells. We found a few locations that had refuse from resturants catering to the folks coming in on the train.Oysters would be caught, put in barrels of salt water, alive, and shipped inland to be served to wealthy patrons. Unfortunately because of the city and the short sightedness of city officials a lot of valuable information about the early days of Lexington's development has been destroyed because of large projects like the new Rupp Arena were pushed through with NO archaeology completed, but we are fortunate to preserve at least a few slivers of the past to help understand how the city functioned as it grew.
As someone who lives near Lexington I would love to read more about this. Do you have any articles that you could point me towards?
@@natesmith3065 ideally I would like to see the city to see up exhibits of some of the artifacts. Really what we need is people to pressure the city to make it required for permits to have archaeology done on downtown construction projects. We have lost so much already, and every time they build new construction Kentucky heritage is lost forever.
Oysters are “caught?”🤣
that's because the Cats are the real history, forget everything else. except maybe bourbon and horses. that's marketable
@@aveleziii the irony of Kentucky politicians talking about 'importance of preserving Kentucky Heritage' only to turn around and plow it all under is ridiculous. And it's not just Lexington it's across the state. TN, OH and WV make millions a year off of highlighting their cultural history, especially Native American mound sites. Meanwhile almost none of Kentucky's mounds are owned by the state and as such have no parks, Museums, or heritage trails (all of which generate revenue) to showcase them.
When I was a kid in fla (1970s) we would harvest our own oysters and clams, and eat them right off a giant grill at my grandaddy's hunting camp. He would also cook swamp cabbage. So good.
Swamp cabbage is delicious, had that with my grandpa a few years back. It's too bad the trees are endangered now, its mostly not legal to have anymore.
I bet that spoiled you on oysters and clams, huh?
i miss when they were cheap. when i was a kid oyster meals were a simple local food, and now they're unaffordable
Those historcal findings sure do say a lot about the health of our oceans then vs now, sigh. Also- this is a really sweet video. Ryan, I'm a born & raised coastal New Yorker, yet I've only had oysters twice despite knowing how incredibly nutrient dense they are. And I appreciate the oyster shucking tutorial, as I've never done it myself either. 🙂
That was my take away too😢
mussels, too, are REALLY good for you (with the standard shellfish precautions taken into consideration, of course)--definitely something you should check out as well! definitely one of the shellfish of choice up here a little more northeast.
When I was a boy we used to get cherry clams of the beaches on the York River and my mother would make clam stew. A good memory to be sure. Thank you.
The maryland statehouse was made with oyster moater. I remember the beach parking g lot as a kid being paved with crushed oyster shells in the 80s. They would cut up bare feet in a flash. But they were cheaper than blacktop and stones according to my neighbor.
I believe the first paved roads in America were paved with crushed oyster shells!
The Past Times podcast read an article from a old Atlantic City (iirc) newspaper a while ago which discussed the idea of paving streets with oyster shells. Could be a clever way of reusing common waste, even if it came off as a little too lowbrow for them.
It really was common close to the coast. It’s still practiced today, but the cost of doing so makes it uncommon to see.
The Roman's roasted the shells, then added the resulting powder to lime to make concrete.
@@Joseph-Colin-EXP All roasted shells lead to Rome.
@@Joseph-Colin-EXP Well done. We have our obligation to think about the Roman Empire taken care of today.
"i grew up in Indiana and Kentucky" oh okay lore accurate settler. Excellent.
😭
The Big Oyster by Mark Kurlansky does a great job of explaining how important and ubiquitous oysters were back then
I'll have to read it! Thanks. Salt was excellent
And don't forget the book Cod by Kurlanski. Also amazing, as was Salt.
@@susanohnhaus611 lol, I ordered cod too off Amazon. He has quite a few books
Great book. It was as much a history of New York City as it was about oysters. Would love to get a more expansive look at oysters too.
Those 1700 oysters looked like a 70's bush! Fishy smell? 😂
There was once a Fish & Chips place nearby that battered and deep-fried oysters. Man, were they good. Wish they were still around.
Yep. Grew up with oysters. Was on a boat by two years old. Had oyster shell driveways . Everyone did. Didn't like them until I got older so ironically I've never shucked one myself.
I was on a boat since I was 6 months old and probably have eaten more oysters than you lol
@Bingus_Bangus considering he said he used to dislike them, what's your point lmao?
I grew up on cape cod. I musta shucked thousands.
@@Bingus_Bangusso what? Why are you oyster gate keeping?
@@FooglerDoodgler because people can't just act like they've had more oysters than me
They were considered poor folks' food in England too. There were dock workers who rebelled because that's all they were ever fed. I remember as a girl, my Nana's cook books often said to add oysters to steak'n kidney pudding, as a way of padding out more expensive beef.
I had a friend from Canada who lived near the cost and she hated lobster because when she was growing up it was so cheap they ate it often and she got sick of it. I told her here it’s an extremely expensive luxury, so of course I love it! 😂
@sidharthghoshal oh that's really interesting. I wasn't aware that lobster had ever been so common/'low brow' in England
@@cassieoz1702 i deleted my comment i thought you had written "New England". There was a lobster revolt in New England where prisoners considered it cruel to be forced to eat lobster. I don't know about England and oyster revolts.
As well as oysters, lobsters and salmon were all the subject of complaints from apprentices in Britain for being served too often.
Born, raised and lived in Maryland. There are roads that are fully comprised of oyster shells. Whether the Bay or the Ocean, these roads exist. Sadly, I'm not an oyster fan, but my family is.
Oyster shells can also be burned and then crushed to make a great slow release crop fertilizer!
My favorite holiday dressing for turkey is oyster stuffing with oysters in seasoned bread crumbs. Delicious!
New Orleans?
My health practitioner recommended occasionally enjoying smoked oysters in olive oil because they are so nutritious: high in B12, Zinc, low-cal protein, and antioxidants. Who knew? I sprinkled them with garlic and onion powder and enjoyed them on top of a salad, and they were absolutely delicious! And the olive oil from the can made a smoky, seafood-y and delicious base for the salad dressing, sort of like adding anchovies to a dressing would.
yeah smoke oyster is good item for pantry! i even chuck it in my asian spicy instant noodle!
I really enjoy your videos. They are calming, well put together, and informative. I look forward to sipping coffee on Sunday morning and watching them every week.
I absolutely love them on the half shell Char-broiled over an open flame. They get a little bit of melted garlic butter....Delicious👍😁
As a fellow ocean-deprived Midwesterner, I can relate to getting super enthusiastic about any and all seafood. For those lucky enough to live near the coast, it may not seem like a big deal since it's readily available and cheap, but here seafood is a special occasion treat.
An old school can opener is a good tool to open an oyster without cutting yourself, the pointy type that makes the triangle hole, not used much anymore.
A church key.
I'm from Maryland and while I love the oysters from the Chesapeake I love sampling oysters from all over North America. Every location is different because of where the oysters grow or raised.
Wish I could send you a couple dozen fresh Sydney Rock Oysters, will die on a hill firmly declaring they are the best.
You can always mix a little of the hot liquid into the egg mixture to temper the heat and prevent the eggs from cooking.❤
Haha that bandaid tells a story... Shuckin ain't easy kid!
Yes. As soon as I saw them, I suspected that it was from shucking! It's a great symbol for people to be careful.
@@chrisdonovan8795 i just started working at a fishmonger and yeah you have to be real careful shucking, it takes a bit of force to get into the right spot and twist but misplaced force will send the sharp end of the shell right into your fingertip or the shucking knife right into your hand
@@elune43749 Do you use cut resistant gloves? They can lessen the level of injury. I'm sure that as time goes on, you'll be able to do it blindfolded!
Wonderful video. But I must confess that I never heard of the term "oyster tavern". Oyster bar and oyster house are the terms we used in NYC for many years. The latter used most often.
When making fried oysters, have you ever included bacon bits in the batter? It adds much flavor to the dish.
How I wish I could just walk to the shore, get myself a bunch of oysters, and just munch on it for dinner. While I'm at it, I'd love to get sea weed, sea salt, and mebbe catch a few fish.
Oyster shells also make for great decorations such as wreaths, candle holders, wall decor, and used in home fish tanks.
keep up the good work, bro, I've noticed you've lost quite a bit of weight so far, you got this!
Oysters are so good! Very informative video!
Kinda makes me wonder about possibly covering the indigenous experience contemporary to the time period the channel covers. It's definitely something I'd enjoy seeing more of.
what blows me away is how simple most of your recipes are, Ryan! But so darned good i've cooked a few at home. very informative video, as always with this channel. Glad to have subscribed!
When my grandfather moved to Jefferson county Washington State back in the 70s he would walk down to the beach and crack them open and eat them raw on the beach unfortunately due to red tide you can't do that
In the same location anymore
Love oysters! September is just around the corner for us. We live in Florida and we follow the guidance to eat oysters only in months with an “R”, as all the non-“R” months are way too hot to safely harvest oysters. The bacteria levels in the water are too high with the heat. But, I can’t wait, oysters starting in September and stone crabs in October. Good times…good times.
The months ending in “R”. Basically from fall to spring.
As a Texan, I always waited until the first frost or freeze! SeptembeR, OctobeR, NovembeR, can still be too hot to enjoy them safely. ❤
@@sevenember3332 they meant the months ending in R. Sept, oct, nov, dec….
I read that May, Jun, and July are oyster spawning months and that affects the quality.
That was always our guide growing up, too. We kids would go clamming at the beach and bring back buckets home and mom would steam them for us to eat by the fire. Yum!
Didn't grow up on the coast, but any time I visit, a good dozen oysters on the half shell always go down a treat.
Oysters, due to pre industrialization water quality, were so prevalent in American brackish and saltwater regions that the floor of the water itself was completely covered in healthy oysters. Now many of these areas, like the Chesapeake Bay are heavily polluted killing much of the shallow water Oyster habitats.
Steaks and oyster sauce is a classic dish, and still popular here in the UK. 👍
I'm from the UK and i've literally never heard of that in my life
@@MS-eb8cf must be from one town over
didn Jon do an episode on something similar to this back in the day?
@@MS-eb8cf I am astonished, I've seen it around for my whole life, it is still available in loads of pubs with traditional bills of fare.
You said oysters Rockefeller and I instantly went back to my childhood. My aunt would make them every Christmas and it they were so addictive.
That's what I miss most about my grandmother. She's too frail to make the christmas dinner we all enjoyed for 20 years.
0:18 that is the greatest “clear” i’ve ever heard. My foreskin almost retracted in fear.
Que?!
I hate that i share this sentiment
Why would you say this publicly
Always good to see Ryan. One of the best presenters on the whole of TH-cam. Fact. 👍👍👍
People have been eating oysters forever - the prehistoric settlement of Skara Brae, on Orkney, had vast rubbish middens, which were largely composed of Oyster shells.
Fried oysters can be hit or miss, even in a place known for them. Ot really depends on the season and where they’re pulled from. The taste is supposed to be the richness gained from frying with at most a slight chew, and a burst of flavorful saltiness.
Hard part is mostly not over cooking them when frying. If they are all very close to the same size it's not too bad but had a number of places they'd over cook them and they get rubbery when you do.
Frying them is tricky because when underdone they’re fried snot, and when overdone they’re grainy. There is a very fine line for correct done-ness.
Currently binging the cooking seasons videos! You guys keep it up!!
I live in Mississippi. Moved down here in 79 to work the external tank for the shuttle. Oysters were famous for storing outdoors. You go out and get piles of them and dump water on them from time to time. As long as you don't let them freeze, you're good. It was a way to store protein.
Excellent demonstration and recreation of a cool colonial dish. I love seafood in general, including shellfish like clams and mussels, but oysters always seem to have a strong off putting taste to me, even when cooked. Maybe that lemon is a good idea then. Glad it turned out well!
1:25 and those piles still sit on our beaches today. Incredible
Back in the mid-1990s I had a friend who introduced me to oysters. Despite both of my parents growing up in New Jersey, I grew up in Central Texas. We were 4 hours away from the coast and we never had oysters. Even back then I knew about my food allergies, so we had to make sure wherever we went that we might run into oysters, especially fried oysters, that the dishes didn't have corn in them. Oysters Rockefeller was the first dish I ate. I liked them, but I don't mix well with bacon and I didn't that day either. Not as badly as eating straight bacon, but not good. The next time it was raw, on the half shell. My sister told me how she and Mom went to Cape Cod and had them. She wasn't thrilled, but I was. At that time I wasn't eating tomatoes so I just put the oyster on a cracker and put a bit of horseradish on them. I liked them more and I wasn't eating anything that gave me problems. And, after checking to make sure the oysters were not breaded with either corn starch or corn meal, because I'm extremely allergic to corn, I had fried oysters. I loved them. Now, whenever I can find oysters I will eat them either raw or, if it is safe, fried. The only place I know right now in town, they put corn starch as part of their first dipping for their fried oysters, but their raw oysters... I'm a fan.
@humanspecieseradicationmedia yeah, and I have trouble with peppers too, the hollow ones, like bell and chili peppers (I also have problems with black pepper but not as bad as hollow ones.)
Fun fact: 19th-century oyster shops invented the wire-handled cardboard carton we now associate with Chinese takeout
Awesome show! A Minorcan from St Augustine showed me this trick. Try using a shorter, medium sized, flat head screwdriver instead of a shucking knife, and use light inward pressure while applying most of your strength twisting to pry the knuckle on the oyster. The dull head will help prevent cut fingers. Wiggle the head into the knuckle for more surface area on the inner shell. Also make sure you put a lot of alcohol on any oyster shell cuts you get, you’ll be glad after a few days. Hope this makes sense. Your content is outstanding!
My grandfather talks about when times were good during the great depression of 1930s; his father's way of doing a famcy thing for the family was to bring a basket of steamed oysters home from town. Which is to say, the local tavern, down by the dockside. This was Dekalb County, middle Tennessee 1930s . The oysters were shipped wet in barrels. Apparently just shaved uce packed around wooden barrels they were then boiled by placing 4-5 dozen oysters in a wooden basket over a steel wheelbarrow, which had a small brazier full of a smoky charcoal fire, when the oysters started opening they were placed around the edges to stay hot for an hour or so. What wasn't sold for 2/ penny each was sold 2 baskets for a dollar.
5 dozen was often more like 75-80: whatever would fit in a (1/2?) Peck split oak basket. They had nickel beers & 2 raw or 1 cooked oyster on the half shell. BYO hot sauce.
The hand you hold the oyster in as you shuck can be wrapped with a towel. That way if the knife slips you have a little protection.
Anything swimming in that much butter is going to be good. I like fried oysters better because they firm up more. It's a consistency thing and they taste less briny, more earthy.
Well done sir. Cooking a dish with egg to thicken a sauce without over cooking it into scrambled egg or being too cautious and undercooking it is not easy. Lots of people making hollandaise sauce and authentic carbonara can attest to that. When it works, the richness the egg gives to the recipe is just a delight.
Would love to see a Great Lakes episode.
Same!
We may need advice on how to deal with a "surfeit" of sea lamprey, though in smaller amounts than what supposedly killed some king back in Europe. Those were able to migrate inland after a 19th century canal was dug, so I guess they would be off topic in the Great Lakes region. Did anyone eat those in the St Lawrence River or in coastal America?
Raw oysters and beer, best combo ever
Flat headed screwdriver works a treat. Sawsall blades make the best shucking knives, grin off the teeth, shape the blade, add a dull edge, broom handle handle. Thin slightly flexible and durable as hell.
I love the honest perspective this guy offers on food! More of him please!
One of the best channels on youtube. Congratulations guys.
another lovely episode of Of Course It Tastes Good, It's Mostly Butter
I was raised in the greater Toronto area and oysters are _very_ exotic to me. I'm mad about them. Raw with lemon juice and Tabasco paired with ice cold beer is heaven in the hand. My mom used to add a can of oysters and butter to cream of celery soup. I haven't had that in years.
As a kid I remember the oyster raker boats going out into Chesapeak Bay early in the morning. Big row boats with long rakes that they raked up the oysters and put them in bushel baskets to take to market. Sadly it is all just a memory now.
The Union Oyster House opened in Boston in 1826, known then as Atwood & Bacon. It is the oldest restaurant in Boston and is still operating to this day.I believe it is the longest running restaurant in the US. 💕
Loved this episode!
Great video! I also didn't grow up near the sea, so Oysters were a rare treat for me. The host was very genuine and really did a great job with showcasing the recipes (the sauce from the first recipe looked like liquid gold)!
Growing up on the east cost in Charleston SC, seafood of all kinds were readily available, crabs, oysters, shrimp, fish. All delicious.
This is very interesting. It has been years since I've had an oyster but, hey, now's the time. Great video.
take a general butter knife(like you'd find at Walmart or dollar store), go about a 1/2 inch from the tip, and bend slightly. You want about a 15-30* bend...now you have a makeshift shucking knife for opening and "cleaning" oysters/clams.
Nothing like Rocky Mountain oysters! Now those are oysters! Yum!
I love this episode!! Thank you all.
From Michigan along the coast we had a seafood processing plant nearby so we got oysters. Definitely find out what type they are and look up what seasons they’re good in my first time trying oysters they were definitely the wrong kind for the season and they had a very muddy fishy taste. Took me years to try them again and I love them now!
Hiya! I was born and raised on Cape Cod. My family has been there since the 17th century. Even today, many folks have driveways made of crushed oyster shells 😊
I too, am a boy from Indiana. I truly love this channel. I grew up eating a lot of the dishes you cook (of course, more modern versions), and grew learning the history of the region (South Bend area in particular). I need to try to replicate this oyster dish...sounds delicious.
Totally love oysters in any form and was fortunate to grow up near the NE/Mid-Atlantic coasts so there was always plenty of reasonably priced fresh ones available. Still live near the coast but they're not plentiful or cheap anymore. Same hold true for lobsters.
This is great. It reminds me of the days when the cheapest lunchtime meal on the Oregon and Washington coasts was a steamed Geoduck. That was a while ago, and now it's a nearly unaffordable delicacy. I also fondly remember Oyster Fritters. I am confused about this "sip a beer" thing though. Who does that?
I miss the oyster run (motorcycle), that's in WA State. I don't miss the politics of that state though.
While kayaking in the sounds of BC, we came across a few of those shell mounds. Tribes would go from island to island, stay and eat for a while, then move on. Crazy to see these mounds that are still there after minimum 100 years, possibly much longer
I live in Florida and have taken some trips into the Everglades. I can verify that there are mountains of discarded shells.
I used to go buy crabmeat and oysters with my grandmother in Cambridge MD. The entire parking area was covered in oyster shells. She was an excellent shucker too and great cook of Eastern Shore foods. ❤
I recently discovered that I absolutely LOVE to eat oysters (they're on sale 12 for $12 at every Whole Foods every Friday)!
I even hand-forged my own custom oyster shucking knife
These recipes are still used in the netherlands, but the versions with mussles are probably the more popular ones.
West coast born and raised, and it looked/sounded delicious to me!!!
On the east coast, we have oyster shucking gloves to protect ypu from those finger slices
One of the best things about living in Massachusetts - I can get oysters whenever I want! Just had a dozen last night! 😊
Hi neighbor!
10:31
Would've never thought it'd get that reaction! How fun, this one is now on my to-do list. Thank you for another great video!
Another great episode. Those oyster dishes look great. Cheers!
Oyster shells crushed are still a popular item to scatter for domestic hens to aid them to make good shells. In my local farm shop they sell crushed oyster shell for poultry by the sack.
I’ve had them cooked but really only enjoy them raw. Saltine, lemon juice, horseradish, and hot sauce. Can eat dozens and dozens that way.
You and me … same. Never ate my fill no matter how hard I tried. We used to buy them by the bushel. Dad was excellent shucker.
the first ships coming into New Haven harbor in CT had to use cannons to destroy the oyster reefs to create a safe port because they where so massive
We live in an old house near the Chesapeake Bay in VA. We were recently installing a patio and found tons of oyster shells about 6in down.
Tasting history with max miller has a fantastic video about when they really took off
Bicycling on crushed shells is very, very nice. Gonna have to try that dish!
Fun fact about the East Coast Interior and Oysters. A lot of the industry was within the river valleys to the west along the Atlantic. I am in the Connecticut River Valley in Western Mass, as an example locale. As teamsters would deliver full loads of goods to port cities, their otherwise empty loads would be packed with oysters, to a larger than realized degree, and the few material goods the western towns were in need of, since they manufactured most everything. Most older garbage pits, and midden piles, in unexpected places like a New Hampshire mountain meadow, or in a random forest along a stone wall, can be attributed to this trade of necessity. No reason to return empty, when there are stomachs to be gorged back home!
Turtle Mound near New Smyrna Beach, FL, is the largest shell midden in the US, mostly from oysters. It's so tall it can be seen some distance from the shore and was used by early Spanish explorers as a navigational landmark.
The great part about shellfish is you can make huge batches that taste amazing. Perfect for making for a large amount of people
Id love to see a “best of” feast, where you guys make 2 or 3 of your favorite dishes that use similarish ingredients, and just, eat it around a table and examine how the flavors mesh
I live on the Chesapeake bay. One of the prime memories from my childhood was grabbing an oyster in the water, then wrapping it in tin foil, throw it over a home made fire on the beach. Once steamed, we would open it, use the bottom half shell as a scoop and dip it in the bay water, then eating it, water and juice together. Something primal about that.
I read somewhere that one of George Washington's favorite dishes was a ham and oyster pie with a cream base, I've made it, it's very good
That fried oyster dish immediately reminded me of a similar dish in the Cantonese/Teochew cuisine, where you similarly fry small oysters in a thick, egg-heavy batter that forms into a pancake. It’s served with fish sauce sometimes to further intensify the taste.
Love the history lesson that went along with this recipe. I find it interesting hearing about how seafood used to be considered for poor people and now its very pricey to buy. This recipe also seems,s like a good entry into eating oysters bcuz the texture always looked slimy to me.
Marylander here. The key to a good oyster fritter is to use the liquor as the main liquid component of your batter. Then you get the deep oyster and "sea" flavors throughout. I usually just add self rising flour directly to a bowl of oysters and their liquor. I'm curious about using breadcrumbs though.
Greetings from the American Coastal South. Since I love history I shall share wisdom! Saw a chef attempt our Oyster Stew with 2 pans-- I laughed. One pan and a kitchen timer or an old timey watch. Can of oysters and the brine. If you live in Maryland you know what that is, Virginia too. A pan. medium heat, have ready about 1/4 cup of heavy cream and maybe a pat or two of real butter and Old Bay Seasoning if you have it or historic celery seed at least dash of nutmeg or anything similar to what is in Old Bay. Heat those Oysters and brine for 2 minutes only. they will curl. Then, add your cream and butter for an addition 1/2 to 1 minute. makes 2 mugs.garnish with spices and a side glass of Sherry. This is old and authentic and from Eastern Shore and surrounds. Cheers. and I love how the gent at Townsends pairs oranges with seafood!
Once again you have created a great learning experience for us. Cheers mate.
If you don't have a shucking knife use a Flat Head Screwdriver.
Fun thing about how oysters were eaten by "both rich and poor". I've worked on an archeological dig of an upper class site which was occupied (by several successive mansions as prior incarnations burned down) from the late 1700s to the early 1900s.
Now, the family which lived there left records: they wrote how they are beef, and mutton, and fish. They did not record any consumption of oysters or other shellfish.
And yet - our dig shows so very, very many oyster shells. We don't even keep the oyster shells; we merely record that we found them, weigh them, and throw them out.
Rich and poor alike ate oysters, yes, but rich people did not care to admit to it.