Oysters this season...

I know this is reply is kinda late but I've been out of town. I had pretty much sworn off raw oysters after hearing too many stories about people getting sick. However, as luck would have it, a friend had 2 bags of very salty, cold, Apalachicola oysters 2 weeks ago and I just happened to be around. I thought I would eat just one or two. Wrong. I couldn't stop eating them. They were out of this world good. I gusss I've fallen off the wagon. Or is it on the wagon. Whatever. You only live once.

I have always loved raw oysters and ate them by the dozen for years and years, but will never eat them again after reading an article in D Magazine (May 2003) about two local men who died four months apart from eating raw oysters at a reputable seafood place here in Dallas. (These were Gulf Coast oysters) I'm to paranoid now! Apparently, Vibrio vulnificus was the culprit. They described the symptoms and it was a horrible way to go. Just be careful. Sorry, I don't like to be negative.. but an oyster is the only animal that people consume alive. When you pop the top, you have a beating heart and other organisms live in those shells too! :shock: Be Safe!

That's it, no more sushi for Steeleing1. :nono1:

But I do eat Sushi!

I have always loved raw oysters and ate them by the dozen for years and years, but will never eat them again after reading an article in D Magazine (May 2003) about two local men who died four months apart from eating raw oysters at a reputable seafood place here in Dallas. (These were Gulf Coast oysters) I'm to paranoid now! Apparently, Vibrio vulnificus was the culprit. They described the symptoms and it was a horrible way to go. Just be careful. Sorry, I don't like to be negative.. but an oyster is the only animal that people consume alive. When you pop the top, you have a beating heart and other organisms live in those shells too! :shock: Be Safe!

So share with us how to eat raw oysters in a safe manner. I wonder if it hurts the oyster when I bite it? I didn't realize that oysters have a heart -- I have never seen one bleed. The red stuff is cocktail sauce.;-)

I said it once, I will say it again, stop with the oyster hysteria! Please read the data regarding V. vulnificus courtesy of the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/dise...s_g.htm#How common is V. vulnificus infection

300 cases between 1988-1995! Oh my god! I wonder how many people choked on steak during that time?

What I love is that people are scared of the dread VV but then go walking barefoot in the surf where they may step on a shell coated with the bug and get a good innoculation. Of course, to get to the beach they drove a motor vehicle(dangerous) after getting off a plane(dangerous) and all the while drink too much beer(God help the liver), smoke(God help the lungs) and are bombarded by the sun's rays(God help the skin). But man, they will be SAFE if they avoid the raw bar that night

I said it once, I will say it again, stop with the oyster hysteria! Please read the data regarding V. vulnificus courtesy of the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/vibriovulnificus_g.htm#How%20common%20is%20V.%20vulnificus%20infection

300 cases between 1988-1995! Oh my god! I wonder how many people choked on steak during that time?

What I love is that people are scared of the dread VV but then go walking barefoot in the surf where they may step on a shell coated with the bug and get a good innoculation. Of course, to get to the beach they drove a motor vehicle(dangerous) after getting off a plane(dangerous) and all the while drink too much beer(God help the liver), smoke(God help the lungs) and are bombarded by the sun's rays(God help the skin). But man, they will be SAFE if they avoid the raw bar that night

Good Point..Ape.

So share with us how to eat raw oysters in a safe manner. I wonder if it hurts the oyster when I bite it? I didn't realize that oysters have a heart -- I have never seen one bleed. The red stuff is cocktail sauce.;-)

SJ stop it! That's just what the article said! (about the heart... ) I'm just too skeered to eat them anymore! I'm sure they are safe most of the time.... but what about that one time when they aren't..? :shock: Maybe location of where the oyster is harvested is the key so I've heard. And the way they are processed.

SJ stop it! That's just what the article said! (about the heart... ) I'm just too skeered to eat them anymore! I'm sure they are safe most of the time.... but what about that one time when they aren't..? :shock: Maybe location of where the oyster is harvested is the key so I've heard. And the way they are processed.

;-)


The danger could lie in the hands of the dishwasher who receives the delivery and doesn't place the oysters in the cooler quickly enough. It happens I am sure. As Ape said, I am more concerned with crossing Hwy 98.

One of my mom's friends died about three years ago from eating raw oysters, but not before he spent a few months in the hospital. I know other young and healthy people, two in particular, who were extremely sick after eating raw oysters. My brother was one of the two, and he was out of it for about a week. His friend, the other victim, was in the hospital for about a week, and very ill for about one month. All of this makes me aware of the potential dangers I face when eating oysters, and these personal stories are the reasons why I don't eat oysters at any old place that serves them.

By the way, Hunt's Oyster Bar, in Panama City, recently sold there downtown location (which was a lousy set up anyway), and the owner is working on reopening the Beck Ave location clap_1: )which burned two years ago, just up the street from the Captain's table. While they are not open for dining yet, they are selling bagged Apalachicola Oysters out of the back of the building.

Thanks for the info on Hunts SJ..one of my favorites! :clap_1:

Thanks for the info on Hunts SJ..one of my favorites! :clap_1:

You are welcome. The old Hunt's, which will soon become the new Hunt's is an old favorite of mine too.

you should have no problem with the oysters.! As long as you know where you are eating and trust the restaurant serving them.

Just found the article in D Magazine referred to by COS....yikes!! That is so scary! I checked and found out the recent Hep shots I finished were for Hep A (due to where I travel)....so I thought ok...I'm clear....after reading the article it does give me hesitation...BUT article does say that poor man already had some liver damage. New Years Eve 2002 a group of us ate in a HIGHLY regarded top 30A restaurant (which I shall leave unnamed) and by the next morning 7 of our group of 9 were sick.....varying degrees....from feeling horrible for 17 hours to being dog-sick for 3 days.....the 2 in the group who weren't sick, did not eat the salad which had CRAB on it! And the sickest person was also the healthiest, lowest (almost no) body fat person of our group!! So I deducted it had to be the crab. I called the restaurant to inquire if they had heard from any others....they acted surprised and said no one had called. It was one of our favorite places, but we haven't been back....I would go back there (as it is popular with many on this board and is an awesome place), just haven't been able to mentally get there yet!! I've "assumed" it was some kind of shellfish poisoning but never really knew for sure....it was awful.

Just found the article in D Magazine referred to by COS....yikes!! That is so scary! I checked and found out the recent Hep shots I finished were for Hep A (due to where I travel)....so I thought ok...I'm clear....after reading the article it does give me hesitation...BUT article does say that poor man already had some liver damage. New Years Eve 2002 a group of us ate in a HIGHLY regarded top 30A restaurant (which I shall leave unnamed) and by the next morning 7 of our group of 9 were sick.....varying degrees....from feeling horrible for 17 hours to being dog-sick for 3 days.....the 2 in the group who weren't sick, did not eat the salad which had CRAB on it! And the sickest person was also the healthiest, lowest (almost no) body fat person of our group!! So I deducted it had to be the crab. I called the restaurant to inquire if they had heard from any others....they acted surprised and said no one had called. It was one of our favorite places, but we haven't been back....I would go back there (as it is popular with many on this board and is an awesome place), just haven't been able to mentally get there yet!! I've "assumed" it was some kind of shellfish poisoning but never really knew for sure....it was awful.

Me too, but it happend this past year with another menu item -- maybe not same restaurant. Since then, I don't eat the food, just the drinks for me. I did not move for two days and was sick for about 5 days . Not my idea of funn. However, it was not oysters which I was eating.

Okay. First of all we have to get the "R" month thing correct. This was before refrigeration. Because the summer months were so hot the oysters were not safe to eat because there was no refrigeration. Next, I would never eat an oyster that was not from Louisiana. Those appalachicola oysters are yuck. The only place I'll eat oysters on the panhandle is Acme and I first ask them if they have Louisiana oysters that day. Sometimes they don't; you have to ask. OMG I used to go to Tyler's Beer Garden some 30 or so years ago. Blast from the past!

Apilachicola vs. Lousiana oysters? Aren't they the same species? There are vast differences in certain oysters such as Pacific oysters, but to my taste buds the southern oysters are the same.

I have had some Apilach oysters that were not salty enough, due to the fresh water from the swollen river. Nothing against LA oysters, I love them. Perhaps someone can explain the difference?

I have had some Apilach oysters that were not salty enough, due to the fresh water from the swollen river. Nothing against LA oysters, I love them. Perhaps someone can explain the difference?

I dunno, they're both Gulf oysters.
But yes, I've heard the same thing said about Apalach oysters not being salty enough, John.
I had some on St Pat's and they tasted great to me. I don't like too much with 'em, just a touch of red sauce, if even that. Mmm.
I am probably tempting fate but at least I've had various Hep shots.

I dunno, they're both Gulf oysters.
But yes, I've heard the same thing said about Apalach oysters not being salty enough, John.
I had some on St Pat's and they tasted great to me. I don't like too much with 'em, just a touch of red sauce, if even that. Mmm.
I am probably tempting fate but at least I've had various Hep shots.

They are very different but they are not a different species, both Crassostrea virginica. They look and taste different however. Louisiana's oyster is generally larger and creamier with a mild flavor, saltiness varies with the rainfall and season; ideal for cooking and the perfect vehicle for the raw sauce of your choice. Apalachicola oysters in my experience are usually a bit smaller and firmer in texture, but they are very salty almost any time of year. In my opinion, these guys are best consumed raw. When used in cooking they seem TOO salty and should be avoided for the same reason one should not use salted butter to cook. They are perfect on the half shell, ice cold with a little lemon and a cold beer. :clap_1:

Thanks for that clarification, Skunkape.
Had some more last night, with just that: a bit of lemon and ice cold beer.
Still tempting fate, I guess.

This thread makes me want to eat some oysters. But at the same time makes me hesitant to do so. Anyone here remember a place called Davy Jones Locker in Destin? Have to go way back for this 1.