Whether you belong to the “never met an oyster I didn’t like” school of thought or are a new member of the raw oyster eaters club, consider:
The sea is salty so . . . : Oysters have a briny (salty/salinity) taste. In very general terms, East Coast oysters tend to be briny with a mineral finish, says Plitt’s John Novak, while West Coasters are less briny with a cucumber finish.
Pre-slurp prep: The liquid in the oyster “should be clear. It should not be cloudy. The meat should be plump and shiny,” says Porter’s Oyster Bar’s Peter O’Grady.
Don’t dump the liquid: “The most beautiful thing about an oyster is the liquor–the water inside the oyster. It’s actually seawater from the place where it was picked out of the water,” said Shaw’s Mark Palicki. “A very important part of eating the oyster is actually drinking that liquid.”
How to talk about ’em: “Are they plump or are they crisp? Do they have a creamy texture?” says Frontera Grill/Topolobampo’s Rick Bayless. “Do they have a long finish or a bright short finish? Do they end with the flavor of cucumber or the flavor of the sea? Is the briny character strong or light?” Steely. Coppery. Like lettuce. Like cucumber.
Oysters are an acquired taste: “If you really want to start appreciating oysters, and you know you’re going to have to take it a step at a time, make sure you go to a super reputable place,” says Bayless. “Have them served ice cold, only get a few of them, try them with different toppings so you can figure out what’s going to be the right thing for you . … Have a few oysters every once in a while and you’ll begin to develop a taste for them. You’ll have that `Aha!’ moment when you say, `I get the flavor.'”
