Raw Oyster Juice

2016-08-14 a.o.

Why would you buy a little 4-oz. jar of clam juice for $5, when you can make a quart for less than $10? I guarantee you that the quart you make will taste a lot stronger than the little jar and you get to eat those oysters too!

These shucked Willapoint oysters are the only oysters I can get here in Deming, NM.
Fresh ones, I would need to have overnighted UPS or FedEx, and I'm not that fanatic about them.

Food safety warning:
Eating raw seafood puts you at risk for parasites and other diseases.

Even if you don't intend to consume the oyster juice, this cleansing reduces the chance of foodborne diseases because it flushes out the liquid the oysters have been sitting in. Place both containers on ice while doing this and cook this oyster juice before storing or consuming it.

After rinsing like this, I still marinate the oysters in lime juice for at least 30 minutes to further reduce the risk of foodborne disease, and it makes them taste good too. :-)

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 4 cups:

1 jar shucked Willapoint oysters
sieve
2 saucepans
2 wider containers with ice.

Pic1: shucked Willapoint oysters are huge
Pic1 borrowed from the internet

Directions

2016-08-14

Pic2: even the 3rd rinse still clouds the liquid.
Pic3: marinating the rinsed oysters with lime juice and veggies ( = ceviche)

After opening the container, pour the content in a sieve over a saucepan.
Transfer the oysters to a second saucepan.
The cleaning cycle:
- Cover the oysters with water
- Gently stir. The oysters are very fragile, and you don't want to damage them.
- Rest 1 minute.
- Repeat this stir/rest cycle 3-5 times.
Pour the liquid through a sieve into the other saucepan.
Repeat step 2 a few more times until you have about 4 cups of oyster juice.
Even after the 3rd rinse, the liquid will still be milky white. (Pic2)
I do not find that this diminishes the oyster flavor.
For long-term storage boil the oyster juice first to destroy any potentially harmful bacteria.
Transfer the oyster juice into a freeze-proof container.
Refrigerate (or freeze) the oyster juice in a freeze-proof container.
When frozen, vacuum-seal for longer shelf-life.
Use the oyster juice to enhance a chowder, seafood soup or sauce.
Optional:
Blend one or more oysters into the juice to make the oyster flavor even stronger.
I prefer to eat them all. :-)

See also: Deming, NM gardens, animals and more and avemariasongs.org

See also: Deming, NM gardens, animals and more
and avemariasongs.org