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.
