Microwaved Oysters

You know what one of my pet peeves is?  When a TV chef proclaims that the only good use for a microwave is popcorn. As a family that would starve without a microwave, I take slight offense.  So what do you think a microwave hater would say if I *gasp* microwaved an oyster to steam it open?

A friend of mine, who is also a successful wholesale seafood distributor and oyster lover, told me that when he wants to steam just a handful of oysters, he pops them in the microwave.

Say what??  All I envisioned was exploding shell parts.

We happened to have a dozen oysters left over from a dinner party the other night, so I tried microwaving them.  It's genius.  And I can't wait to share it with you.


HOW TO STEAM AN OYSTER IN THE MICROWAVE

Step One:
Place an oyster on a paper towel or microwave-safe plate with the curved side down to make sure you don't lose the oyster liquor.

Step Two:
Microwave on high for one minute.

Keep an eye on it.  As soon as the shells separate, the oyster is ready to eat.  I microwaved 6 single oysters - all about 3 1/2 inches long - and each one took between 55 sec. and 1 min, 7 sec.














Step Three:
After the oyster shell "pops" open, remove it from the microwave and pry off the top oyster shell (with a Harbor Island Signature Oyster Knife, of course) and pluck the oyster meat out of the shell.

My husband likes his oysters "well done" - so that they shrivel a little.  I prefer them rare to medium-rare - so that they burst open when you bite down on them and they release their briny goodness.  My microwaved oysters steamed my oysters to the perfect temperature - plump and delicious.  I guess if you left them in the microwave longer they would begin to shrivel, but I was making these oysters for me, so I cooked them to my taste.




MORE THAN ONE AT A TIME?

After my experiment microwaving the six oysters, I only had six oysters left, so I decided to microwave three of them at a time.  You know how when you cook a Hot Pocket, one Hot Pocket takes 2 minutes but two Hot Pockets take close to 4 minutes.  There's really no benefit to cooking two at a time.

The opposite seems to be true when microwaving oysters.  I placed all three on a plate (cup side down) and set the timer for one minute.  I only needed 45 seconds.  I tried it again with the last three oysters and I had the same experience.  Three oysters.  45 seconds.  They were just as good as when I microwaved them individually.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Just a note: I haven't experimented with cluster oysters.  I think there may be some issues with the sea juice (oyster liquor) leaking out, so I would stick with singles.  My experiment was with Eastern oysters (Crassostrea Virginica).  If you happen to experiement with clusters, please post here and let me know how it goes.