Photo by Assunta Ng/NWAW
By Assunta Ng
I love cooking oysters, but hate all the work involved. It becomes a family affair when I cook oysters. Hey, you want to eat? I tell my family, you have to contribute and do your share of the work.
On Mother’s Day, I cooked oysters. Why oysters? They are fresh, delicious, and nutritious. You can buy them while they’re alive. You can buy all kinds of oysters, from big to small. We chose the medium and big oysters.
Cooking oysters is not hard, but the preparation is time-consuming and labor-intensive. You can get canned oysters, or the ones without shells in jars, but they don’t taste as good and aren’t as fresh. I like live oysters, the ones you buy when they are still in the water tank. You have to crack open the shell with a special knife. If you are not careful, you could cut your own fingers or hand.
Luckily, my son did the dirty job. After he opened the shells, standing by the sink, my husband stood next in line to wash and rinse the sand off the oysters. Then he placed them on a paper towel to soak out the excess water. I took the oysters and marinated them on the other side of the kitchen. Marinating the oysters with East-West style of ingredients is the best way to do it. The big oyster has more meat than the little oyster. After this experiment I would not pick the little ones.
First, I put two drops of olive oil on each oyster (three drops on the big ones). The same principle I applied for soy sauce on the oysters. Then I shredded some cheese on each oyster, and sprinkled on a little pepper. Last, I put chopped green onions and shredded ginger on top. I broiled the small oysters for three minutes, and four to five minutes for the big ones. (end)