Species and Author:
Crassostrea gigas, Thunberg 1793
Family: Ostreidae
Common Names:
in
French huîtres creuses, Pacific
Oyster, Portuguese Oyster, Giant Pacific Oyster
Quantity required:
from
6 to 12 per person
Mollusc Preparation
- It
needs several years to grow oysters. First a "collecteur" which is a
PVC baton is immersed in the sea to collect the larvas. After 9 months
the oysters are 2 to 4 cm and will be separated from the "collecteur".
Then they will grow for 1 or 2 years. The next step is the "affinage"
when the oysters will stay in the sea (pleine mer) or in large basin
of clay (fine de claire) to get their particular taste. At last for
2 days they will stay in a basin to get rid of sand and impurities.
The oysters can be kept for two weeks if they are at the right temperature.
- There are several qualities of oysters following the area they
were grown and the quality of the "affinage". The size is also an important
criterion for the prize: the large ones are more
expensive than the little ones.
- The only thing you have to do is to open the oysters ! Put in
your left hand an old dish cloth to protect it and hold the oyster in
this hand the hinge on the side of the wrist. With the right hand and
an appropriate knife (a strong one) open the oyster on the right side
trying to introduce the knife between the two shells. The first oyster
is the worst ! Don't worry you get used !
- To
be sure the oyster is still alive touch them at the edge : if the oyster
is moving it's all right if not it's dead, don't eat it. You can do
the same thing with a drop of lemon.
Recipe - Method
Nothing
to do just eat the oysters possibly with some drops of lemon juice.
Instead of lemon you can add somme drops of wine vinegar with little minced
shalots
In some places oysters are eaten with little sausages or some paté.
Trivia