Whilst at the beach a couple of weeks ago, I was curious to see a snorkeller exiting the water with a handful of rocks which, upon enquiry turned out to be oysters.
I knew that oyster farming took place in the Ria Formosa but was none the less suprised to find that they could be readily harvested from the sand, at high tide.
The chap kindly gave me a few after insisting I take an oath of secrecy as to their whereabouts, somehwere near Olhao or Fuzeta.
By no means giants, we shucked and ate them raw and they were good, briny yet with a sweet aftertaste.
I fished out my snorkel, which last saw action at Whitby’s pearl diving Olympics, and have been going at it like an aquatic rabbit ever since.
One of the best ways to enjoy oysters is by eating them raw from the naked body of a virgin, with a squeeze of lemon and some thinly sliced rye bread, apparently.
Barring that and as a good introduction for oyster new-comers is a dish served in The Golden Chopsticks chinese restaurant in Amsterdam, a version of which is below.
Make a dressing using 3 tbsp of good quality light soy sauce / 1 tbsp of mirin / 1 tsp of very finely chopped ginger / 1 small clove of very finely chopped garlic / 2 finely sliced spring onions / a good twist of black pepper.
Steam a dozen oysters (best to do this in a large covered pan with a little boiling water) until they open, should take a couple of minutes. Discard the top shell, cut the oyster loose, spoon over a little dressing and serve.
I knew that oyster farming took place in the Ria Formosa but was none the less suprised to find that they could be readily harvested from the sand, at high tide.
The chap kindly gave me a few after insisting I take an oath of secrecy as to their whereabouts, somehwere near Olhao or Fuzeta.
By no means giants, we shucked and ate them raw and they were good, briny yet with a sweet aftertaste.
I fished out my snorkel, which last saw action at Whitby’s pearl diving Olympics, and have been going at it like an aquatic rabbit ever since.
One of the best ways to enjoy oysters is by eating them raw from the naked body of a virgin, with a squeeze of lemon and some thinly sliced rye bread, apparently.
Barring that and as a good introduction for oyster new-comers is a dish served in The Golden Chopsticks chinese restaurant in Amsterdam, a version of which is below.
Make a dressing using 3 tbsp of good quality light soy sauce / 1 tbsp of mirin / 1 tsp of very finely chopped ginger / 1 small clove of very finely chopped garlic / 2 finely sliced spring onions / a good twist of black pepper.
Steam a dozen oysters (best to do this in a large covered pan with a little boiling water) until they open, should take a couple of minutes. Discard the top shell, cut the oyster loose, spoon over a little dressing and serve.
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