Oysters

This weekend we made a trip to the cabin and had a hanker'n for oysters.  While going overboard on organizating our oyster beds in nice rows I noticed how incredibly HUGE some of our oysters are.  I went on a mission to find the biggest oyster in the lot. 

I brought up two 11" long oysters as well as six perfect sized little guys.  Shucking the big oysters took me about 10 minutes and caused a big mess. 

Disgustingly huge 11" oysters along side average sized ones:

I almost lost my lunch when Tony decided to take a bite of one of the big oysters.  My stomach still turns every time I look at this picture (and I usually love raw oysters!).

Charlotte didn't like the big oyster idea so she chose to snack on her feet. 

If you can't reach your feet like Charlotte and are hungry for a great dish, here is our family's Oysters Rockefeller recipe.  I prefer my oysters raw with a tiny squeeze of fresh lemon, but this is my next favorite way to eat 'em!

Oysters Rockefeller

Melt 1 cube butter and add 1 clove garlic, ¼ c. chopped onion, few drops of Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp dry mustard, few drops of Tabasco and 1 tsp of lemon juice.

Sauté 7-8 slices chopped bacon.

Pour off most grease and add 1 package frozen chopped spinach. When warm, add sautéed garlic/onion mixture. If you like your oysters cooked, add them at this point until warm.

Place the spinach-oyster mix on oyster shells for individual servings. Can be done ahead, then topped with buttered bread crumbs just before serving and placed under the broiler until warm.

If you like your oysters raw: Pile a small amount of the spinach, bacon, onion mix on an oyster shell and place a raw oyster on top. If you want the oysters to be warm, quickly broil just before serving.