Farm raised oysters, are they safe?

[Sorentus]

According to a few sources, oyster often contain bacteria that are quite dangerous, since most oyster are farm raised, do you think it would be safe to consume them still? I want to try them really bad since they are the best source of zinc and selenium with the extra benefits of being low in protein so not too taking on the liver but my liver is also very weak so i know that any bacteria would probably send me to the hospital.

Source: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/foodborne_illness/Raw_Oysters.php

http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/healtheducators/ucm085385.htm

[TylerDurden]

I think there is a lot of hysteria re food-poisoning which does not seem valid under scrutiny.

I will admit that I avoid any small oysters with thin shells, if I can. These are the worst farmed kind.  I doubt they are a problem re food-poisoning(I gather that the only danger is due to something called "red tide" but  such contaminated oysters are never allowed to reach consumers.

[eveheart]

Farmed oysters are no more dangerous than wild oysters when both are raised in the same waters. Besides the presence of bacteria, water pollutants can affect oysters. As TD mentioned, red tide conditions cause oyster operations to grind to a halt.

I eat raw oysters every week in the winter. I don't enjoy summer oysters unless they come from someplace very northern. I always learn where the oysters come from - they're shipped with labels indicating origin and date of harvest.

The FDA and many other "trusted" sources warn against eating raw food of any kind. I don't think that the FDA is there to instruct people how to eat oysters safely, so it just tells us not to eat oysters at all.

[goodsamaritan]

in my country we have a government agency that reliably tests the waters for red tide.

hopefully your government has something like this.

see here. http://www.bfar.da.gov.ph/redtide

[Sorentus]

I live in Canada so its pretty close to USA as far as legislation goes, so I'm guessing red tide isn't an issue here.  I'll have to look for some Asian market since the regular grocery store is a very poor place to find oysters.

Also what about pacific vs eastern/wild, any preference?

[eveheart]

I buy the best oysters from a wholesale seafood dealer. The minimum order is 5 dozen oysters. For smaller quantities, I buy from a fish market that I found by trial and error. My oysters seem to mostly come from British Columbia or Maritime provinces.

[zaidi]

I buy the best oysters from a wholesale seafood dealer. The minimum order is 5 dozen oysters. For smaller quantities, I buy from a fish market that I found by trial and error. My oysters seem to mostly come from British Columbia or Maritime provinces.

I also got an offer from a wholesale dealer for 5 dozens of Oysters, but I didn't buy while I don't know for how many days I can keep them in the fridge.

Please you and others tell me:

1) Can I also deep freeze some of them for next week?

2) How long are they good in the fridge?

Thanks.

[eveheart]

My wholesaler sells wooden boxes of 60 kumamoto oysters that they get shipped in daily, so they are very fresh the day I buy them. Their instructions are to keep the oysters in that box (not airtight, but slows evaporation) for "a week or two" in the refrigerator. My experience is that, by the end of the first week, all the oysters look shriveled and some are dead. So, I never buy a box without first having someone to share the oysters with. If it's just me, I eat my oysters at an oyster bar for $1.50 each.

[TylerDurden]

I would heavily discourage freezing any raw shellfish as they, in particular, lose a lot of the taste that way. My experience is the same as eveheart's in that leaving my raw oysters for more than a week means some are dead and others start dying. Worse still, every day they stay in the fridge, they shrivel and there is less flesh to eat.

[zaidi]

Thanks to both of you.
It is really helpful to know that they could be kept in the fridge for 1 week (earlier I got the wrong impression that one has to eat them within 1-2 days and after that they die).

Eveheart, how much do you pay for 5 dozen box?

[eveheart]

Eveheart, how much do you pay for 5 dozen box?

$60 for kumamoto oysters that taste great raw. They also sell what they call BBQ oysters for grilling (big and not as tasty raw) are less.

[Joy2012]

How do I look for local wholesaler of oysters? I live in Austin, TX.

[eveheart]

How do I look for local wholesaler of oysters? I live in Austin, TX.

Try this yelp search: http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=oysters&find_loc=Austin%2C+TX&ns=1&ls=d09ea43e84eb770f and see if there is a wholesaler listed. If not, ask some of the restaurants if there is a local w/s distributor. You might also find a restaurant that is willing to make you a deal - that's how I buy my salmon roe.

[Joy2012]

Thanks, eveheart.

[Joy2012]

My only experience of eating raw oysters was at restaurants.

What do I need to do to clean raw oysters when I get them from local seafood markets?

[eveheart]

What do I need to do to clean raw oysters when I get them from local seafood markets?

Watch a few youtubes on opening oysters. I use a little oyster knife and a towel to hold the oyster, brace the oyster against my thigh, and press and wiggle at the hinge, making sure that I'm not aiming my knife at any vital part of me. (Goodsamaritan uses a machete, he has a video somewhere on this forum.) Others have shared other methods on this forum.

You can clean the outside of the oyster shell before opening it, but afterwards, there is no cleaning necessary. Drink the liquid, if I agrees with you - it's the stuff they add to tomato juice in Clamato juice. It's okay to swallow or spit out any little flakes of oyster shell.

[Inger]

I also got an offer from a wholesale dealer for 5 dozens of Oysters, but I didn't buy while I don't know for how many days I can keep them in the fridge.

Please you and others tell me:

1) Can I also deep freeze some of them for next week?

2) How long are they good in the fridge?

Thanks.

I can keep my oysters in the fridge for 2 weeks, no problem. I pick them myself tho... IDK if it is the difference? I have kept farmed oysters 2 weeks in the fridge too and it worked too. Yeah, they dry out a bit but they still are great IMO.

Jack Kruse eats loads of oysters and he opens them and freezes them in his freezer on the half shell.... That is what I would do too if I got too many. I would easily eat 5 pounds in 2 weeks tho

Zaidi, where did you got that offer? How much do you pay? I need oysters too..... have not been picking them the last month because of the weather.....

[Inger]

My only experience of eating raw oysters was at restaurants.

What do I need to do to clean raw oysters when I get them from local seafood markets?

Nothing. Just open and eat
The ones you buy are cleaned anyways. My self gathered oysters still can be a bit muddy outside when I open them.. no problem. I do rinse them tho.. but some mud does not hurt... maybe it helps

[Joy2012]

Thanks for responses to my question.
Sounds like opening oysters is a huge job, which needs brutal force?

What about the intestines of oysters? Don't you identify them and cut them out?

[eveheart]

Thanks for responses to my question.
Sounds like opening oysters is a huge job, which needs brutal force?

Not brutal force, but a little twist of the wrist and knowing the right position for your knife. Watch some methods and pick one.

What about the intestines of oysters? Don't you identify them and cut them out?

Eat the whole thing. The oyster won't make you sick. Water pollution can make you sick, but commercial oysters aren't taken from sewage-water areas.

[Joy2012]

Many thanks.

[cherimoya_kid]

Avoid Gulf Coast oysters.  Their handling practices are lax.

[dariorpl]

I had never had oysters raw or cooked until a couple weeks ago. Then I saw them in a supermarket and assumed they were wild. I don't know if they are or not.

I've been having them often over the past few weeks. At first they didn't taste very good, I think most of them were shriveled, or just unhealthy. They were small for their shell size, and the liquid inside was very salty and somewhat clear, at first I thought this might be ocean water and was somewhat reluctant to drink it (because of the salt content). But the last few times they've been delicious. Big, and tasty. The liquid inside is very creamy, and not that salty. The shells are very hard and pretty thick. They take significant force (which is surprising for their size) and some skill to open. I suppose that means they are healthy, or just more fresh.

I could easily eat 60 of them in two days if I wasn't eating any other meats those days. Although I've only been eating them as a supplement to my other meats so I'm only eating about a dozen a day or a few less, when I have them.

[dariorpl]

Well, we're back to the shriveled oysters with ocean-like water.

Also, my previous estimate was wrong. I was having about half a dozen a day, not a dozen. I could probably still eat 60 in two days, especially if they were the high quality ones, but it might not be as easy as I thought.

[eveheart]

You might want to ask your supermarket about the oysters that they sell - where from, when bought. I've never bought oysters at a supermarket because I don't think the supermarkets have a good turnover. The idea of 60 oysters is just an example of what my local wholesaler packages and sells, but after all, they are in the wholesale business. Another good source for me is a seafood restaurant that has a retail sales counter. Their stock is always fresh because they are selling bazillions of oysters in their oyster bar. I like to eat about 6 or 8 oysters at a time, but after that, the taste does not appeal to me anymore.