How many years does it take to make a tradition? Probably not one, but would you accept an argument for 2?
This is the second year that we've had an oyster blowout at my in-laws' house the day before Thanksgiving, and I'm angling for it to become a yearly thing. They live just moments from the Gulf, and giant boxes or bags of fresh, plump, juicy oysters can be had in their local seafood places for a pittance.
Late November is the perfect time of year to stuff your gullet with oysters. For one thing, oysters from the Gulf of Mexico are firmly back in season, so worries about contracting a debilitating illness from the guys are minimized. And for another, it's the holiday season, and what could be more festive than trays and trays of oysters with a nice glass of cava, or prosecco, or muscadet?
The only problem with buying boxes of oysters is that somebody has to pop all of them open and separate them neatly from their shells. Luckily, as a group we've gotten a LOT better at this over the last few years. Logan's brother Brandon is a champ, and he showed our friend Justin the ropes. With three guys sitting in a semicircle outside shucking, the baking sheets filled up fast.
Lots of oysters and flames after the jump.
My dynamo mother in law Beth whipped up a quick cocktail sauce, and people circulated in and out of their AMAZING new kitchen (seriously, more pics with the Thanksgiving post - they did almost all the work by themselves, and it's stunning) eating oysters straight, or laying them on saltines and topping them with dabs of cocktail sauce or straight horseradish. Even my five-year-old nephew, noted lover of sushi, got in on the game.
There was also a warming, creamy squash soup, which was poured steaming into mugs and cradled in oyster-chilled hands. Just the thing after a trying journey from Austin.
With 200 oysters, we couldn't do them all raw, so out came the grill! A couple dozen went on, where Brandon grilled them and topped them with a garlic butter and handfuls of Parmesan. These oysters are inspired by the charbroiled oysters at Drago's, whose flame-grilled, buttery orbs are so good, they even convinced me to start liking cooked oysters again. The family version is as tasty as the original and often includes giant pyrotechnics.
Logan helped out a bit, but Brandon tamed the flames on his own, only burning all the hair off one arm.
The chargrilled oysters were wonderful as always, with the oysters Rockefeller (oysters topped with a ready-made cheese and greens mix my father in law GQ picked up at the oyster shack and then grilled by the erstwhile Brandon) a very, very close second. And of course, there were more raw ones to be eaten!
Fresh sweet gulf oysters - what a treat. We downed all of these and drank a good bit of wine, and then, exhausted by our 11-hour drive, we fell over. The next day would be starting bright and semi-early, with lots and lots (and lots) of Thanksgiving cooking to do.
