# Cancale oysters



## salomon (Apr 20, 2011)

Seafood and oysters in particular are a big thing in France at this time of year. Every boulangerie has a fella selling oysters outside.
Yesterday on our way up to Andorra we found some Cancale oysters :smile2:

Reminded us of our trip there in the MH. Fantastic place.

So we have 2 dozen #1s to plough through later. I am sure we will manage ...

The MH has allowed us to find all kinds of wonderful things to eat and drink. And long may in continue :smile2::smile2:


----------



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Can you cook Oysters? Ive tried them raw and thought they were disgusting but ive had them smoked and they were scrummy but hard to come by. We were in Cancal in November


----------



## salomon (Apr 20, 2011)

Of course you can cook them. Oysters Churchill spring to mind .


----------



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

You never see them cooked on a menu though. Just been googling and it seems you can steam them, fry them, grill them with cheese on or even just stick them in a fire. Steaming and firing them also opens the shells as well which I think is often half the battle. Will have to get some and try.


----------



## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

salomon said:


> Of course you can cook them. Oysters Churchill spring to mind .


What's that then Sarah? Or is it a Robby secret?


----------



## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

Yup, google Oysters Po'Boy - fried in corn meal.

Quite nice.

Morph


----------



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

barryd said:


> Can you cook Oysters? Ive tried them raw and thought they were disgusting but ive had them smoked and they were scrummy but hard to come by. We were in Cancal in November


Softy, wuss, just slide them down your throat, chew or don't chew, lemon or none all wonderful.


----------



## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Hi all, 

Save your money and spend it wisely on a fresh Turbot or Tuna Steak or even a Cod Loin. Oysters are completely tasteless and the most overrated of all sea food. 

Can someone please explain why people, "slide them down their throat"? Your taste buds are in your tongue, why "slide them down your throat without tasting them"? Food is for savouring.


----------



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Drew said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Save your money and spend it wisely on a fresh Turbot or Tuna Steak or even a Cod Loin. Oysters are completely tasteless and the most overrated of all sea food.
> 
> Can someone please explain why people, "slide them down their throat"? Your taste buds are in your tongue, why "slide them down your throat without tasting them"? Food is for savouring.


I have to agree which is why I mentioned smoking or cooking them. Lovely smoked but raw, pretty pointless if you ask me.

Right up there with the most overrated things ever including Champagne, Truffles, Caviar and Monte Carlo.


----------



## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

barryd said:


> I have to agree which is why I mentioned smoking or cooking them. Lovely smoked but raw, pretty pointless if you ask me.
> 
> Right up there with the most overrated things ever including Champagne, Truffles, Caviar and Monte Carlo.


The Culinary Committee here convened a Special Meeting.

We came to the folloing decisions

Oysters are better cooked than eaten raw - waste of good money.

Champagne is over-rated and can be substituted equally by a good Spanish Cava (Methode Champenoise), especially if drunk as a Champagne Cocktail - maybe later this evening.

Truffles - well we had a nice soft cheese recently which was flavoured with just shards of Truffles and was delicious and we get some excellent Belgium Chocolates with Truffle flavour, but paying for whole truffles is not justifiable.

Caviar - jury is out on that one, but I doubt whether I would pay for Beluga.

Monte Carlo - what is it for? Like Barry give me the mountains, for which he gave us a very good guide to the Pyrenees for this year and they were great.

The Committee's Decision is Final.

Geoff and Basia.


----------



## salomon (Apr 20, 2011)

nicholsong said:


> What's that then Sarah? Or is it a Robby secret?


Breadcrombs and cheese and under the grill/ into the oven. Yummy.
We do scallops on the fire over a bed of juniper ( all the greenery, not just the berries) ...they pop open on their own. Just eat them like that, steamed in their own juice infused with juniper.

And for those who say save your money and buy a nice fish, you must remember that oysters are cheap here. Even the big fat #1 Cancals were only €10 a dozen and they have come a long way to get down here. We can buy vey good Arcachon or oleron oysters for less than €5 a dozen. Dont you just hate France ? :laugh:


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Bought two cooked lobsters today 

Am I really off topic?

Anyway tomorrow's meal is lobster themador

Scallops in shell

Chips and green salad

I haven't got any oysters 

But my grand daughters dad is the biggist fishmonger in Bolton

So I'll have some in the new year

Aldra


----------



## PeteFarnell (Nov 20, 2013)

I guess it's because I'm a common oik, but I've always thought mussels taste better than oyster and crab better than lobster.
Crab salad and fresh whole grain bread with a glass or three of prosecco, food of kings!


----------



## p-c (Oct 27, 2007)

Oh, Please stop all of you. I'm desperate for any shell fish now.
Happy new year to all,
Regards
p-c


----------



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Drew said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Save your money and spend it wisely on a fresh Turbot or Tuna Steak or even a Cod Loin. Oysters are completely tasteless and the most overrated of all sea food.
> 
> Can someone please explain why people, "slide them down their throat"? Your taste buds are in your tongue, why "slide them down your throat without tasting them"? Food is for savouring.


You don't just slide them straight down and they do have a taste albeit a very subtle one, made more obvious with lemon, and I chew mine usually.

And you are very incorrect saying there are no taste buds in the throat, while the majority of taste buds are located on your tongue, you also have taste buds on your throat, the roof of your mouth, and your pharynx.

Peoples sense of taste does vary though, some, especially older people have fewer, and taste less, this can be affected by blocked sinuses too, try tasting something strong whilst holding your nose, this is why when you have a cold or flu, food taste of very little.


----------



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Kev

Sorry but you are (in my view) soooo wrong.

Oysters are THE most disgusting thing I have ever eaten (even worse than Escargot and that takes some surpassing) 

They have no taste of their own, the only taste is of sea water, the texture is of the most slimy chewy gristle you can think of. Even the thought of them is enough to make me feel like parting company with my latest meal !!

I have however often wondered about what they would be like cooked as I simply love mussels, crab and particularly scallops which are simply Devine (but of course they are all eaten COOKED)

If anyone has any cooked oyster recipes please let me have them. That way I will be able to decide if they are better cooked or still 'orrible

Andy

I have not been able to find ANY evidence that there are taste buds anywhere other than in your tongue either!!!
Perhaps all those oysters have addled your brain??? :laugh:


----------



## havingfun (Oct 31, 2007)

hi,

best oysters and mussells i,ve ever had, we bought from the aire at trebes, we should have been in valencia at the sons, but our first trip abroad, really the first trip in the van, and got timing wrong, so sat at the aire at trebes, and it,s christmas eve, and we had just decided to move on to the sea for christmas day, and this old guy,beret etc just like out of a french film,big barrow, with loads of bags on it, which he tipped onto the top of the barrow, all oysters and mussells,went to put rubbish in bin so i could have a nosy, and people were getting bags full and change out of 10euros, so went back to van, got a couple of plastic bags, and two 5euro notes, stood in queue,and realised that people were saying how many for, so my turn,he asks in french, i pointed at myself and bernard,and at the oysters and mussells and had my money in my hand, thought cant spend more than 10 euros, and it,s christmas, he took my bag filled it with mussells,then on top must have been a dozen oysters,took 5 euroa out of my hand and gave me a euro back. couldent beleive it...we drove towards the spanish border along the coast road,stopped and bought white wine and cream for the mussells, and crusty bread,couldent find the aire that we had been told about, and we were just driving along a harbour road,and a couple jumped out in front of us, and pantimimed sleeping,we nodded, and they pointed along to the side of the harbour, and there was about 10 french vans, just parked facing the sea, went to sleep with the sound of the sea, woke up,had a walk,coffee in really upmarket cafe, back to van, and oysters,wine and then mussells in white wine and garlic, perfect.....just what motor homing is all about.

we have never been able to find were we parked, it was an upmarket harbour, expensive boats, and the other end of village a small fishing harbour, and the sign said motorhomes could park in the winter months, but we do that all the time, find somewhere just by chance. keeps life fun......

mags


----------



## salomon (Apr 20, 2011)

Thats exactly what we love too mags.
This is where we first had our wonderful Cancal oysters. And we shall not forget it.
We didnt finish 2 dozen last night...so have a dozen tonight to quaff.
Yummy .


----------



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Mrplodd said:


> Kev
> 
> Sorry but you are (in my view) soooo wrong.
> 
> ...


I agree about them raw. Pointless but if you can get hold of smoked ones they are really nice and a lovely texture so I assume cooked ones are equally as good. A few cooking ideas in this thread and I found a few by googling them. Wish I had bought some in Cancal in November now. Im at Flamborough but I think its all crabs and Lobsters here.


----------



## jo662 (Jul 27, 2010)

Oysters are supposed to be an aphrodisiac!
I had a dozen and only one of them worked!!:grin2:


----------



## jo662 (Jul 27, 2010)

We were in Cancale in late October,and Qysters were on the menu of the day one lunchtime.
They were the best Oysters I have ever had,with just lemon juice squeezed on them!:grin2:


----------



## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

I became addicted to raw oysters when in Sydney for 5 years in the early 70s. They were pub food in the eastern suburbs from what I remember a dozen with lemon and brown bread and butter cost about the same as a pint of beer. I managed 4doz one afternoon as a young man.

I was really disappointed when I returned to the UK to see the price of them here. I do however indulge on high days and holidays. I agree with those so far that have said that some are better than others. At a french market stall don't buy the cheapest. My favourites in the UK were on the north Norfolk coast.

Dick


----------



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Mrplodd said:


> Kev
> 
> Sorry but you are (in my view) soooo wrong.
> 
> ...


No apology needed Andy, it's just a matter of taste, I have it and you don't seemples    

It is a matter of taste buds though, some people do have more of them, and some peoples are more sensitive too, just one of those things, I can detect food going off far sooner than anyone I know, and will not touch some stuff where others will happily just chuck it down.


----------

