Are these oysters boiled?

D

dragon49

I ordered raw oysters at a sports bar/restaurant.  I got served oysters in this puffy state.  They were also quite tasteless.  I asked a waitress if these were boiled and she insists that they were not.  I’m not an oyster connoisseur, but I’ve eaten a lot of raw oysters and many different varieties, and I’ve never encountered this type of “puffed out” consistency, straight out of the shell. 
 
I strongly suspect that the restaurant has a policy of not serving raw oysters due to health concerns, but in order not to lose sales, they chill boiled oysters in the shells and serve them as “raw.” 
 
I’d like to write a post or an old fashioned letter to the management, complaining about the dishonest service, but I want to be sure about my point first.  Is there any way that the oysters pictured here came directly out of the shell looking like this?  
 
 
 
I dont think they are boiled. Oysters, regardless of type or location vary in tase or lack of taste during different parts of the year. If in dout, what did the juice in the shell taste or feel like? If they were boilled or steamed, they would be very watered down. those are very big oysters, but they do look dry. Somtimes depending on how they are stored this is normal. If the restaurant is serving tastless, dry oysters they need to find a different source.
 
They look like raw oysters to me. If they were cooked in any way, shape, or form, they would be severely constricted and less than half of their original size. Not to mention, boiled oysters would be quite chewy/rubbery. If they were bland and flavorless, it has more to do with the bed they were harvested from. Must be from a low salinity area.
 
Add hot sauce, salt, and lemon juice, with a touch of horseradish

Trust me.. those are pure D raw oysters. I've eaten more than my share. And from the looks of it, those are pretty nice ones. Please don't write a letter to management. The waitress is probably still talking about you questioning if they were boiled.

And it is customary to serve raw oysters on a platter on a bed of ice. Just like any other meat or seafood, they will spoil if not kept cool
 
Restaurants do weird things. They could have been shucked and placed on sheet trays in the freezer and then defrosted in the microwave. We on the internet here though have no idea! I sure don't by looking at that pic. I can't answer this for you.
 
When I get a bad meal I (usually) don't go back. I don't do internet reviews. Sometimes I feel like mailing a letter to the mgmt, but I only have once, and it was because of roaches crawling all over the place and all over the pastries!
 
What I'm thinking is this... you said you've never seen oysters this "puffy" right out the shell, right? I'd say these are the largest oysters you've ever gotten. Trust me... these look very nice. Sucks that they're bland. There's a restaurant in Destin, FL called Beauchamps Oyster House. They had the biggest, tastiest, cleanest oysters I've ever eaten. The ones you have look like theirs did.
 
Thanks for all of the replies.  As the situation isn't 100% clear,. I'm not going to complain to the management.  @ Terravexti, the juice was oyster like, but just as bland as the oyster taste.  
 
If these are indeed raw, this restaurant needs to get a new supplier.  I had the exact experience with their oysters last May.  Take a look at some delicious raw oysters that I recently had.  This is the kind of slimy consistency that I am used to:
 
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Restaurants do weird things. They could have been shucked and placed on sheet trays in the freezer and then defrosted in the microwave.
Click to expand...
 
I have never eaten a raw oyster that wasn't shucked while I watched at any restaurant. They usually employ full time shuckers. I know that doesn't speak for all restaurants, but it would be a first for me. Frozen oysters that have been thawed would pretty much be like frozen peppers that have been thawed. Total mush. Any restaurant that cares about their reputation would never serve a previously frozen oyster.... they aren't quite the same as other seafood, as far as freezing goes.

dragon49 said:
Thanks for all of the replies.  As the situation isn't 100% clear,. I'm not going to complain to the management.  @ Terravexti, the juice was oyster like, but just as bland as the oyster taste.  
 
If these are indeed raw, this restaurant needs to get a new supplier.  I had the exact experience with their oysters last May.  Take a look at some delicious raw oysters that I recently had.  This is the kind of slimy consistency that I am used to:
 
Click to expand...
 
Those look good.
 
 
 
dragon49 said:
I ordered raw oysters at a sports bar/restaurant.  I got served oysters in this puffy state.  They were also quite tasteless.  I asked a waitress if these were boiled and she insists that they were not.  I’m not an oyster connoisseur, but I’ve eaten a lot of raw oysters and many different varieties, and I’ve never encountered this type of “puffed out” consistency, straight out of the shell. 
 
I strongly suspect that the restaurant has a policy of not serving raw oysters due to health concerns, but in order not to lose sales, they chill boiled oysters in the shells and serve them as “raw.” 
 
I’d like to write a post or an old fashioned letter to the management, complaining about the dishonest service, but I want to be sure about my point first.  Is there any way that the oysters pictured here came directly out of the shell looking like this?  
 
 
Click to expand...
 
Those look exceptional!
 
Flavor comes from the waters they were harvested in. Those are just big ol' boys with no flavor. Sad story.

I assume the texture and bite were normal, just no flavor?

I would take those humongous ones, drizzle olive oil on them, put some crushed garlic on them, add some lemon zest and top them with parmesan cheese, then put them in their shells on a screaming hot barbecue grill and char broil them.... you'd punch yourself in the face three times after eating one of those!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QLLN-Lt4aA
 
Phil said:
 
I have never eaten a raw oyster that wasn't shucked while I watched at any restaurant. They usually employ full time shuckers. I know that doesn't speak for all restaurants, but it would be a first for me. Frozen oysters that have been thawed would pretty much be like frozen peppers that have been thawed. Total mush. Any restaurant that cares about their reputation would never serve a previously frozen oyster.... they aren't quite the same as other seafood, as far as freezing goes.

 
Those look good.
 
 
 
 
Those look exceptional!
 
Flavor comes from the waters they were harvested in. Those are just big ol' boys with no flavor. Sad story.

I assume the texture and bite were normal, just no flavor?
Click to expand...
 
The texture and bite weren't normal.  There are many more types of oysters than I have eaten, but I've probably eaten close to 8 different varieties, and to some extent, they all had the same "slimy"(Good slimy!) taste and texture that the oysters in my last picture had.  The oysters that I didn't like were very thick and meaty—The inside reminded me of the consistency of a New Zealand mussel.  If these were tasty they would have been awesome due to the size, but they were so bland, that I much prefer smaller oysters with good salty flavor.
 
I hear ya. I prefer the saltier ones, myself. Those just look like huge, mature oysters. Perfect for charbroiling!

My biggest turn off as far as oysters goes is when you go to a place where the shuckers are sub par and there are bits of shell all over them. Nothing worse than that.

I can deal with bland.... I can always add flavor

I remember when I was a kid, my siblings and I would all line up around my mom when she bought a gallon of raw oysters... we'd be there like little baby birds with our mouths open and she'd let us each have a couple of oysters... good times.
 
Did they have a funk to them or have a slight briney smell. I recently bought some from a fish monger that looked horrible smelled bad and had mini crabs in them as I shucked them. I brought them back to him and he said they were fine. I said E'f you got my money back and never went back. For almost 2$ a piece I wasnt having that!
 
The Hot Pepper said:
 
Restaurants do weird things. They could have been shucked and placed on sheet trays in the freezer and then defrosted in the microwave.
Click to expand...
 
Oh GAG! That made me throw up a little in my mouth. :sick:
 
DownRiver said:
 
Oh GAG! That made me throw up a little in my mouth. :sick:
Click to expand...
 
Recycled bread, chips and salsa... and Indian condiments makes me gag! There's a revolving door in a lot of kitchens, they go in with the waste and just turn around and put it on your table. :lol: One time I got eaten bread someone had dunked in sauce. :lol: I hate shit like that.
 
LUCKYDOG said:
Did they have a funk to them or have a slight briney smell. I recently bought some from a fish monger that looked horrible smelled bad and had mini crabs in them as I shucked them. I brought them back to him and he said they were fine. I said E'f you got my money back and never went back. For almost 2$ a piece I wasnt having that!
Click to expand...
Nothing funky or briney - just no flavor.
 
dragon49 said:
Nothing funky or briney - just no flavor.
Click to expand...
Gross - I probably would have skipped them. Supposedly if you knock two together you can hear a distinct difference between good and bad. Good more of a thud sound and dead is more hollow if that makes sense. I've seen only two mongers do that both times the oysters were fantastic, the last straw was the last time I went and they threw them in a bag. 25$ for a dozen Blue Point that were bad :(
 
LUCKYDOG said:
Did they have a funk to them or have a slight briney smell. I recently bought some from a fish monger that looked horrible smelled bad and had mini crabs in them as I shucked them. I brought them back to him and he said they were fine. I said E'f you got my money back and never went back. For almost 2$ a piece I wasnt having that!
Click to expand...
 Looking bad and smelling bad means they are BAD oysters. But tiny crabs are normal. With really fresh oysters you can get live worms that live on the outside of the shells.
 
We're were you?? Here in the Carolinas we only harvest oysters in the months ending with er. September,November etc. Sucks they had no flavor aaawwww shucks!!! See what I did there!!! Wwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :) Man quit drinking and just keep getting weirder!
 
dragon49 said:
I ordered raw oysters at a sports bar/restaurant.  I got served oysters in this puffy state.  They were also quite tasteless.  I asked a waitress if these were boiled and she insists that they were not.  I’m not an oyster connoisseur, but I’ve eaten a lot of raw oysters and many different varieties, and I’ve never encountered this type of “puffed out” consistency, straight out of the shell. 
 
I strongly suspect that the restaurant has a policy of not serving raw oysters due to health concerns, but in order not to lose sales, they chill boiled oysters in the shells and serve them as “raw.” 
 
I’d like to write a post or an old fashioned letter to the management, complaining about the dishonest service, but I want to be sure about my point first.  Is there any way that the oysters pictured here came directly out of the shell looking like this?  
 
 
Click to expand...
We are approaching the end of the season...no "r" in next month's name. That is really about breeding however and usually the oysters get plumpy and milky during those months.. If you freeze oysters they are dead unlike when shucking them raw. It is very hard to tell but they do not look cooked at all. 
 
Oysters are sold and eaten all year long.
 
Originally the "r" month 'thang was due to pre-refrigeration days.
 
Oysters were once a common food sold from street carts and held up better in "r"months.
 
Some of the tastiest oysters I've ever had were Puget sound quilcene's in summer time in Seattle.
 
Then again, Seattle is an awesome seafood lovers town.
 
Check that.
 
Seattle is an awesome any food town.
 
One more.
 
Seattle is just an awesome town period!
 
There are many blah blah blahs about months with "r", the fact is oysters breed when the water is warmer. People used to say you only eat them when the water is cold but on the East Cost the water is MUCH warmer in September/October than May by a long shot. I worked at a very famous oyster bar for about 7 years and the Op oysters look like cow tongues from the gulf :) 
 
 
I eat oysters from the water year round, hell even when in Panama I ate the fresh plucked from the water!
 
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