Oyster

Shell-fish, like fish unprotected by shells, are classed as white, or red fleshed. When fresh, white-fleshed shell-fish, of which oysters are the principal variety, are comparatively easy of digestion, while the red-fleshed lobsters and shrimps are even more difficult of digestion than are salmon and bluefish.

Oysters are in season from September to May. They are sold in the shell by the dozen or peck, or, after removal from the shell, by the quart. There are about fifty oysters in a quart. The freshness of an oyster is of first consideration, and, when possible, it is well to buy them in the shells. For transportation in bulk, after removal from the shell, preservatives are no longer used. Also ice is not added to the oysters - but is packed in the receptacle around them, thus oysters are now received in good condition in cities remote from the sea.

The two valves of the oyster's shells are somewhat dissimilar; the left, or lower valve, is deeper and more capacious; this is the half of the shell from which raw oysters are served; by a calcareous growth from this valve, the oyster is attached to foreign bodies. The two halves are held together by an adductor muscle, each end of which rests in a slight depression in the valve. This muscle is the white button-shaped part of the oyster; it is tough and indigestible, as are also the edges, or gills, of the oyster, and both are often removed before cooking. When so treated the oyster is said to be bearded.

Oysters are found in all seas at a short distance from shore. The favorite habitat is the tranquil waters of a bay formed by the mouth of a large river. Oysters from Chesapeake Bay are most esteemed in this country. Those taken from the coast of New Jersey and Long Island Sound are also in favor.

In the New York markets, the small blue points, taken from the southern shores of Long Island, are in demand for service on the half-shell. In the Boston markets, Providence River and Cape Cod oysters are quite generally used. At the present day we have very few natural oysters; nearly all are the result of cultivation - the resulting stock, it is said, being superior to the natural oyster.

Oysters are not very nutritious; they are eaten more as a "provocative to appetite" than for their food value.

How To Open Oysters

Push a thin flat knife under the right, or upper valve of the oyster, and cut the adductor muscle. Then the right valve may be lifted up and separated from the lower valve that contains the oyster. Put the oysters into a colander over a bowl; pour over each quart a generous half cup of water; inspect the oysters, one by one, to see that no bit of shell still adheres. Save the liquor to use with the oysters, or in making fish stock, or sauce. Pour off the liquor carefully as sand is liable to be found at the bottom.

Clams

Clams are dug with a rake when the tide is out, in the gravelly mud of river mouths, the beds being exposed at low water. They are found about a foot below the surface. When cooked, the harder part of the clam is quite indigestible. When this part is used in cookery it needs to be chopped, or, better still, discarded entirely, after it has yielded its juices to a dish. The variety known as Little Neck clams is served raw in place of oysters, when these are out of season and clams can be procured.

Scallops

The only portion of this bivalve (scallops) that is eaten is the muscle of the shell. This corresponds to the adductor muscle of the oyster, differing, however, in point of tenderness. Scallops are in season from October to April. They have a delicate, sweetish taste, and are considered a delicious morsel. On the Atlantic coast they are found from Newfoundland southward. The shell is beautifully ribbed and zoned in varying shades of red and purple. This is made use of as a receptacle in cooking oysters; hence the name scalloped oysters, fish, etc. For scallop cocktails use next recipe.