Oysters (In A Box)

This is what the world is coming to as P&J Oyster Co. lays off shuckers and the oil continues to destroy our way of life here in Louisiana. Normally, it would be pretty cool to sit at home and break out our oyster kits from the freezer. This time it was hard to cook and eat these babies without thinking about the boats sitting useless in their docks and all the families wondering what in the hell they are going to do now. 134 years of shucking came to a halt on Friday, so Dave and I pulled out our box o' oysters.

Our oysters came from Crystal Seas Seafood in Pass Christian, MS. As the website notes: these are hand-shucked oysters that are " cryogenically frozen in their own liquor and then glazed to lock in freshness." And what a sight that is to behold! These puppies will stay good in the freezer for up to 12 months, so stock up. Here's where to order. On the back of the box, it says a portion of all sales go to rebuilding programs associated with Louisiana. So, eat oysters, support New Orleans, help rebuild.

So, here's my review of my first experience with oysters in a box. Dave did the cooking, which involved getting the broiler ready and extracting the trays of frozen oysters in the shell from the box. Each box also comes with a package of Romano cheese and a packet of frozen flavored butter. Only one of our boxes came with the cheese and butter, so beware you may have naked oysters (another reason to buy in bulk.) The butter has to be defrosted and applied to each oyster before they go under the broiler. Then you have to add the cheese, generously, as the directions call for and put them under one more time. At the end, you should have a dozen beautifully broiled oysters on the half shell.

I had mine with some saltines and a Pellegrino. They were small, but yummy. And the cheese and butter were flavorful. They didn't taste to rubbery or odd. Overall, you could probably be served these in a restaurant and not know if they were fresh or not before they were broiled. I would eat these again, but I still prefer raw any day, fat and salty with a dipping sauce to clear your sinuses.