How to choose oysters?
updated the 1 January 2016 à 09:51This is one of the main courses of a New Year Eve dinner table. Fine clear or special, flat or hollow… here how you can choose your oysters and make the most of their virtues.
Oysters are real small pearls of nutrition. Rich in proteins and trace elements (zinc, copper, selenium), they help to keep the immune system in shape and better withstand minor ailments. They also contain magnesium, which helps to fight against stress and fatigue, and potassium that tones the body. However, avoid watering your lemon juice oysters that can destroy just one of their valuable vitamins (especially vitamin E). Last precaution: better to give up on raw oysters when one is pregnant or when your health is weak (convalescence, inflammation, immunosuppression, …) because they may contain salmonella, a bacterium dangerous for people who have a weak immune system.
FLAT OR HOLLOW, SEA OR LIGHT, FINE OR SPECIAL?
The oysters from Britain are usually rounder and lighter. Their price is often higher. The hollow ones are much more widespread, can be full of water or light, when it has been refined. Special selected are longer than fine, they taste more assertive (and iodine) and are more fleshy. In short, it’s all about taste although clear fine appears to be a wise choice for novices.
WHAT NUMBER TO CHOOSE?
The designations (from 0-5 or even some shellfish 00-6) is the caliber of oysters. The higher the number, the more the oyster is imposing and heavy. No. 3 is usually a good compromise here.
HOW TO TELL IF AN OYSTER IS FRESH?
Never (really never) try an oyster that does not inspire you, either because of its appearance (shape, presence of impurities inside or outside), or because you are not certain that it was locked (if the oyster is already ajar or opens too easily). A little trick to see if the mollusk is fresh: touch the black collar around its shell to make sure it retracts well in contact with the tip.
Maureen Diament
