Steaming Oysters Open?

[BreezyCooking]

While not a fan of raw oysters, I do LOVE them well cooked & thus normally buy the pre-shucked ones to use in fries, po' boy sandwiches, soups, etc.

However, I've recently enjoyed some lovely baked oysters on the half shell in a couple of restaurants & would like to duplicate them at home - expecially now, with the holidays upon us - shell oysters are starting to appear more regularly & reasonably in the markets.

My question is, rather than struggling to open the devils the normal way, would they open somewhat if steamed a few minutes the way one does with clams & mussles?

 

[chefkathleen]

Yes they should.
We get some nice ones from Apalachicola. It sounds like the time is upon us.

 

[Andy M.]

I've never seamed oysters but that's what I'd expect.

 

[bigdaddy3k]

Now I want steamed oysters.

 

[GB]

I can't imagine they would act any differently than clams.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I thought so too, but I've never heard of anyone doing it before, & it's not mentioned in any of my voluminous cookbooks. I HAVE heard of folks throwing them on the grill & having them open, so I'm guessing moist heat would work the same way.

I just want them to open enough so I can half-shell them & continue on with the recipe. Since they're going to be baked or just run under the broiler with a thick topping anyway, the slight amount of partial cooking shouldn't make much difference - especially since I don't like them raw (or even squooshy - lol!) anyway.

 

[Wyogal]

I'm not a fan of oysters, but did a quick google search for steamed oysters, found lots of recipes.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Oh for goodness sake - thanks for the slap upside the head - LOL!! "Do a Google search" is usually MY admonition to basic-question-askers - lol! For whatever reason, once I didn't find any reference to steaming oysters at all in a vast array of cookbooks, the searching the internet flew right out of my head!!

Thanks so much Wyogal for the push - the sites with steamed oyster info were great! I see a smathering of Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters with Parmesan & Arugula Pesto, Oysters Casino, et al in my home dining future. . . .

 

[Uncle Bob]

Love em Raw....Slurp!

 

[BreezyCooking]

With me it's a texture thing. I insanely ADORE raw clams, but raw oysters are just too slimy. Remind me of raw egg - something else I can't stand. Eggs have to be cooked to the consistency of hockey pucks for me to enjoy them

 

[Selkie]

...I just wandered in. Do I smell seafood? Oooo... oysters, clams, shellfish! YUM!!!

 

[Uncle Bob]

With me it's a texture thing. I insanely ADORE raw clams, but raw oysters are just too slimy. Remind me of raw egg - something else I can't stand. Eggs have to be cooked to the consistency of hockey pucks for me to enjoy them

You're supposed to chew them Miss Breezy........

 

[bigdaddy3k]

Love em Raw....Slurp!

Me too! Horseradish! Tobasco! GO!