An oyster roast for the holidays
Oysters are a major fan favorite on the coast this time of year. Between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s your schedule is busting at the seams with over the top family dinners of rich food and richer desserts, holiday activities, decorating, shopping for gifts, wrapping said gifts and the list goes on and on and on. An oyster roast in your back yard is honestly the best way to unwind from these sometime stressful holidays.
Oysters are a beloved dinner because they’re easy and delicious. No prepping for hours like a turkey and no need for any place setting fancier than a bit of newspaper thrown over your picnic table. Every year my Dad gets several bushels of oysters for the week of Thanksgiving. We all gather round his shed waiting for him to dump the basket of bivalve delicacies onto the table. There is nothing delicate about it, and that’s the way we want it. Just our family sitting around the table as the light gradually fades to night and the crickets start to chirp. No one worries about who’s in what grade now and how the neighbor painted their fence poorly, we can talk trash or football or whatever we want. And if no one talks at all, well that’s fine, too.
Plan an oyster roast with your loved ones this year. Follow these simple steps and trust us, it’s not hard at all.
- Wash ‘em up! Pick up a couple of bushels for your crew, considering one bushel can feed about 5 people. If the bushels didn’t come washed, rinse them off with the hose really well. No one wants a mouth full of mud with their oyster.
- Get the pot ready! Some say a proper oyster roast involves a metal sheet & burlap sack, this is not the way we do it in Liberty County. We use a large pot with a steaming basket! Bring a large pot of water with your desired seasonings to a boil. Depending on what you like, this may include a little seafood seasoning or you might want to add in garlic and paprika.
- Throw those babies in! Drop a steaming basket in the boiling water and add in your oysters. Let them steam for about 10 minutes. Their shells will begin to open slightly and that’s your sign to pull them out.
- Eat up y’all! Throw them on the table and watch them disappear like a rabbit in a hat. Your guests will need an oyster knife to open and remove the meat from the shell. Prying those delicious morsels from their shell can be a bit tricky for those new to the game, make sure you stick the knife in as close to the “hinge” as you can or you’ll spend ten minutes trying to shuck one oyster. If you’re feeling fancy, add a plate of saltine crackers and some hot sauce.
Whether you delight in prying open a whopper or finding a tiny pink crab (they’re good luck, so eat ‘em up!) an oyster roast does nothing but deliver happiness. It’s a great holiday tradition to start if you don’t do it already. Find joy in the little things!
Not one for steaming them yourself but still want to indulge in some oysters? Head over to the Sunbury Crab Company and they’ll bring ‘em right out to you. All you have to worry about is shucking them!
-Erin Johnson, Creative & Content Manager for the Liberty County CVB
The Right Blend Blog is written by two different authors employed by the Liberty County Chamber/CVB. As we are able, we rotate weeks and each writes about our individual experiences, opinions and let our writing reflect our personalities and creativity. All content provided on The Right Blend blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.
