Oysters are the food of love, so what better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with oysters? I mean, you don't need an excuse to eat oysters, any miserable, wet winter day can become better with a plate of delicious plump oysters.
Are you planning to eat your oysters raw?
If you are having raw oysters, then hands down it has to be our Colchester Native Oysters, they are like a fine wine, decadent, refined, full of flavour and limited in availability. Native oysters are just delicious little flavour bombs, sweet, earthy, salty, meaty little morsels that are such a treat to eat. Yes, they are harder to open, their biscuity shells break easily, so you have to be careful and go slow when opening them but the rewards are worth it.
Native oysters are best served with just a tiny squeeze of lemon to bring out the flavours and chew the oyster to really savour the flavour. Anything more then you risk overpowering the oyster and never, ever cook a native oyster.
Should you be new to having oysters at home or not so confident at opening them, then I would suggest our Colchester Pyefleet Oysters, they are pre-shucked and really easy to open. It's Valentine's Day, you don't want to be worrying about opening oysters, make it easy for yourself. The Colchester Pyefleet Oysters are Rock Oysters, so plump, silky smooth and sweet and salty just delicious. Rock oysters are more robust than natives so you can top your oyster with a whole host of flavours and you will still get the salty, sweet oyster flavour coming through.
Are you planning to eat your oysters cooked?
If you are cooking your oysters and I really recommend that you try this, then our Colchester Pyefleet Oysters would be perfect. They are pre-shucked so easy to open, the meat has been cut from the top shell so it lifts off completely leaving the meat nice and clean. All you have to do is tip away the water in the shell, then they are ready for the topping of your choice and ready to cook. Should you be doing tempura or battered oysters then, take the meat from the shell and put onto some kitchen roll to dry before you batter and cook them. It couldn't be easier.
We have some excellent recipes on our website for cooked oysters, this Rockerfeller recipe is especially good, we have it on repeat in my house with the butter and breadcrumbs in the freezer ready to go.
To answer the original question, which oyster should I order for Valentine's Day? Its either a Colchester Native Oyster, size 2 or a Colchester Pyefleet Oyster.