Harvesting Oysters

Yesterday, I wrote about preparing to expose Henry to foods that have a higher potential for allergen. I should have posted that story a few weeks ago, but it just didn't make it into the queue until now.

So what was our first allergy prone food for Henry? We started with shellfish, fresh local oysters. I was surprised that Daddy seemed less apprehensive about this then I was.

Daddy and Nana harvest oysters on Hood Canal.

Harvesting and grilling oysters was a new experience for our family, but one that will be very memorable. If you like fresh seafood and have the opportunity to harvest and grill your own oysters, I highly recommend it.

A few weeks ago we stayed on Hood Canal for a long weekend with the family. Our vacation house was right on the water adjacent to a former oyster bed. At low tide, we were able to walk down to the sand and pick out any oysters we could reach. Nana and I also had a quick tutorial from a local about how to shuck oysters.

Henry tags along for the oyster harvest.

We kept the oysters in water until we were ready to cook them later that same day. The shells are known for their sharp edges so we wore gloves while rinsing and cleaning them.

Daddy fired up the barbecue and we put the oysters on to grill, along with salmon and crab. We quickly learned that we should have cleaned the oyster shells more fully by removing all the barnacles, which explode when heated. Daddy had to wear sunglasses to protect himself from the barnacle shrapnel. After about 10 minutes the oysters started to open, indicating they were ready to eat.

Henry tests out a grilled oyster.

The oysters were very similar to one of my favorite foods, mussels. Henry seemed to enjoy his oyster, probably since they are quite salty. Luckily, he showed no allergic symptoms so we will start exposing Henry to other shellfish flavors too.

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