Planning an oyster roast? If you need to remember the peak months for oysters and oyster roasts just keep this in mind…
Talk like a pirate!!!
It used to be said that you shouldn’t consume oysters in months without the letter R but due to commercial harvesting and modern refrigeration and other factors it’s just not as big an issue these days unless you’re actually harvesting yourself. Still it’s good to remember that the summer months – that is for most of us watching this episode – are the spawning months for oysters & the meat just isn’t as good – due to how they reproduce the flesh ends up with the a thinner milky texture.
Off season oysters will probably not be as readily available as they will be just due to traditional seasons and when you do find them the price won’t be as good as the R months but don’t be afraid if you see it on a menu in a nice restaurant.
Easy to remember–the Pirates favorite letter is “R” or AAAAhhhhhhrrrrrrrrRRRRR. Peak months for oysters are September to April when they’re at their best —but for that reason traditional oyster roast are always in colder months they contain the letter “R”– September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April.
In South Carolina the tradition is to steam oysters not really literally “roast” them but steam them on a flat metal pan under wet burlap bags…
Oyster – roast -( the word roast starts with the letter R by the way) the Pirates favorite letter something to remember. for more tips tricks other fun stuff head on over to www.barbecuetricks.com