Now's the best season for oysters. But why stick to just raw ones? 7 great bites, from po'boys to pan roasts.
New York City may be dubbed "The Big Apple," but there was a time when "The Big Oyster" would have worked just fine. As Mark Kurlasky chronicles in his 2006 book "The Big Oyster," Manhattan was once surrounded by rich oyster beds dating back to the arrival of the Dutch in the 1600s, and the island's bounty was shipped to restaurants in the Midwest and across the Atlantic in Britain.
Overfarming has since put an end to that. But while oysters may no longer be big business, they're still abundant on New York City menus. Shipped in from as close as Long Island or as far as Japan, they've become a raw-bar staple, served on the half shell and sided with mignonette and cocktail sauces.
Now's the best time to enjoy oysters, but why stick to just raw ones? Here, seven oyster dishes that shuck the same-old raw formula. We're talking salads, sliders, even oysters topped with candy Pop Rocks.
By Lauren Bloomberg; photos by Noah Fecks
Pictured: Kin Shop's fried pork and crispy oyster salad
