Foodbuzz 24x24: End-of-Summer Oyster Party

What is Foodbuzz 24x24?
Well, first let me tell you about Foodbuzz. Foodbuzz is an online community of food bloggers that share recipes, pictures, blog posts, reviews, videos and so much more – all related to food. With over 4 million posts and over 4,000 featured publishers, you are destined to find something scrumptious to cook for dinner on their site! Plus, you don’t have to be a food blogger to sign up at Foodbuzz and start sharing your own recipes, following foodie blogs, creating your own recipe box and meeting other foodies. Very, very cool.

Each month Foodbuzz invites their 4000+ Featured Publishers to submit a creative and fun meal they would want to host. Foodbuzz then selects and sponsors 24 of those meals to take place on a single chosen day. So, we have 24 bloggers hosting their meals all within 24 hours of each other. Ta-da! You have the Foodbuzz 24x24.

My meal idea of an End-of-Summer Oyster Party was chosen! Very, very exciting. :) This is going to be a long post, so grab a snack and something to drink – I hope you enjoy!

Have you ever had oysters before? I tried my first one about 4 years ago, it was bbq’d and topped with pico de gallo and Tapatio – it was marvelous. I knew nothing about oysters then, but I have since learned a great deal and I would love to share with you. :) First, where to get them…

An Asian market, I go to Vinh Phat in South Sacramento. It takes roughly 40 minutes to get there and the neighborhood is not the best – but they have the best deal on live oysters. When I say best deal, here it is; at big chain grocery stores I have been quoted from $1 to $2 per oyster – at the Asian Market you get a bag of 60+ oysters for $35, now that is a deal. The bag of oysters is from the oyster farm, it is sealed and contains a tag that has the date the oysters were harvested and shipped. The oysters purchased for the 24 meal were Pacific Oysters from Bay Center Farms in Willapa Bay, Washington.

Oysters are to be alive when purchased, thus making it very important how they are stored once leaving the market. We purchased the oysters (a whoppin’ 180 of them!) the night before the 24 meal, placed them in the fridge and covered with a wet towel. The oysters need to be stored at a temperature between 40 and 50 degrees. Below 40 or above 50 may kill them. Do not store them in airtight containers as they will suffocate and avoid storing on ice since the fresh water will kill them. Those are the basics for keeping the little guys alive until you can eat them. :)

Opening an oyster

We always make sure to consume all of the oysters within a couple of days of purchase, but the oysters are ok to eat as long as they are alive. How to tell if they are alive? Live oysters shells will be closed – or will close when knocked on. They do not snap shut quickly, so make sure to give them a little time before throwing out.  Dead oysters are open – and they don’t close. Do not eat the dead ones!! They may contain large amounts of bacteria which will make you never want to eat oysters again. Make sure to discard any dead oysters to avoid the bacteria from spreading.

Now, the meal... Saturday was a perfect day for an End-of-Summer Oyster Party. The weather was warm, the sun was out, there was a breeze and once we kicked the water misters on – it was our own little paradise.

Cheers!

My hubby and I have an amazing family and awesome friends. It was great to spend the day with them and enjoy an all day meal of oyster dishes. It seriously could not have been a better Saturday.

friends & family ♥

The meal was set up so that we ate different oyster dishes all day from 12 - 8. Here was our meal in the order it was served. If you would like the recipe to any of these dishes I have included a link in each picture's caption.

Oyster Fritters w/ Homemade Dipping Sauce

Tarragon Mignonette & Lemon Pepper Oysters
served with Broccoli Slaw & Lemonade

Oyster Po' Boys served with Sweet Potato Chips and Freckled Lemonade

Grilled Oysters with Pico de Gallo, Habanero-Lime Butter, Hogwash,
Garlic Butter and Avocado Spread & Cherry Tomatoes served
with Garlic Fries

Garlic Butter, Hogwash, Pico de Gallo, Habanero-Lime Butter

Oysters sauteed in garlic butter

Oysters Rockefeller served with Spinach Salad and Lemonade Champagne

Grilled Banana Splits by my sister, Tiff. So good!!

Mango Cream by my Mom-in-law. A must try!

It was a great way to end the summer and welcome in the cold weather - oh, how I have missed it! The food was so delicious and it was incredible to try oysters cooked in such a variety of ways on one day. Fantastic food and the best company – can’t beat that.  Everyone was so full when the food was done being served, it just seemed right to pull out the blankets and do some star gazing. Eventually falling asleep under the stars... (True Story)

Our Spoiled, Oyster-Lovin' Dog, Toby

Thank you Foodbuzz!