You’re sure to get more than one invite to an oyster roast here in the low country during the months with an “r” – October through April. It’s safe to call them the area’s oldest tradition. Vast shell mounds found along the Southern coastline date back to pre-historic times.
This D.I.Y. dish requires tools. So it’s best to be prepared with your own glove and oyster knife for the shucking. A heavy duty gardening glove does the trick for gripping shells with your non-dominant hand. Check out sturdy knives at Charleston Shucker Company.
Don’t make the rookie guest mistake of throwing trash into the shucking table hole. That’s only for oyster shells, which are recycled back into nearby waters for the next generation of mollusks.
Hosting a roast for the first time? Single oysters are available, but pricey. Clusters are the way to serve a crowd. Charleston Oyster Company will deliver local Bulls Bay oysters to your door. Just give them enough notice, as they harvest to order. Two big bonuses are that they wash off the pluff mud and the price, including delivery, is the same as picking up at local seafood retailers.
To cook, place a large steel grill plate over a wood fire pit until it gets super hot. Shovel your clean oysters onto the grill. Then layer wet burlap sacks over top to steam until they open. You can also rent an oyster cooker from EventWorks for $115. Committed to wood-fire excellence? Check out the Oyster Cooker by Bulls Bay OYRO. It will set you back $1,295 at Mercantile+Co.
To serve, shovel oysters onto a newspaper-topped shucking table. This can be as simple as plywood across two saw horses with a hole cut in the middle. Place your shell recycling container under the hole. More elaborate versions can be built or bought. Search Pinterest, Etsy and Carolina Seafood Tables.
Serve the salty, smoky, sweet delicacy with crackers and cocktail sauce. Since oysters are lighter fare (and not everyone’s a fan), consider supplementing with an entree. Chili, macaroni and cheese or gumbo are easy-to-serve crowd pleasers.
Guests will appreciate extra rags, hand wipes and bug spray.
Now you’re all set for slurping.
Oyster Fun Facts:
· Interested in harvesting your own? The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources provides a map of public access oyster beds and guidelines. You’ll need a salt water fishing license.
· Oysters are considered in-season during months that have an “r.” Spawning season is May through August. Does it matter when you eat them? Read this.
· You can walk the Sewee Shell Mound Interpretive Trail. Created over 4,000 years ago, the oyster mound is the last in a long chain that spans from Florida to South Carolina. Archaeologists think the ring, created by prehistoric Indians, may have been used for ceremonies.
· Oysters are essential to our environment. They filter 25-30 gallons of water per day. This is why Charleston SC has some of the cleanest beaches in the world.
Contact Charleston writer/Realtor Susan Matthews.
