eating oysters in the shell...question

[JackSpearo]

I bought a big box of cleaned (as in all the mud/sand) oysters last friday. They were directly off the truck in SC when i got them, they are from Louisiana...I kept them in a big cooler and i just put a tray of ice on them (not much) 2 times during the week...I've been storing them in my garage, where it is cool...

today I was really hungry and I went to see if I should eat them or throw them away...

I inspected a few that were opened, so I threw them away, all the others were shut tight...so I cooked them and ate them, they didn't taste bad or anything...It's just that my mom keeps freaking me out because she is paranoid about getting things from oysters...

should I be okay?

the oysters were tightly shut and were cold to the touch...I opened a raw one up and smelled it...smelt fine to me...bought them last friday, ate them again today...

thanks

Jack

 

[H2Andy]

well, you're cooking them, so you'll be fine for sure, since you've kept them cold

it's when you eat them raw that you can get some issues

 

[TwoBitTxn]

You did good. Just because they are open doesn't mean they are dead. Give a squeeze, if it pops back open it's dead and probably shouldn't be eaten.

Andy is also right, the issue isn't with cooked oysters, it's the raw ones that can mess you up.

TwoBit

 

[hunter991]

There is some rule about what months you can eat them. I think it is ok to eat them if it has an "R" in the month but I could be wrong.

Brent

 

[JackSpearo]

yea i heard that too, every month with an R...but i also heard that it was complete BS

 

[H2Andy]

yeah, basically that's b.s.

you can eat oysters year-round, but they're not as tasty in the summer, when the water heats up

 

[Wildcard]

The "R' thing has to do with PSP. It runs a higher risk in the summer months when the water is warmer and you have a toxic algee bloom. Cooking a dead oyster that has spoiled still is not a good idea...If they are tight, they are live and good to eat.

 

[herman]

They were bad!!! Next time give me a call and I will come haul them away for you.

As long as they close tightly, your fine. Steaming them well or on a grill rack over a bed of coals will kill most other problems......Now you got me wanting some.

 

[JustAddWater]

I love both cooked and raw oysters. I've never had a problem with the raw ones. Add a little horseradish, some green tabasco sauce and a cold beer......what a treat!

 

[TwoBitTxn]

There are thousands of raw oysters eaten every year without incident.

But then again, there was a fatality last year directly attributed to eating raw oysters in a restaurant in the city I work for too. (He was also a high risk individual)

TwoBit