Whether you’ve tried them and fallen in love or are still contemplating, we have likely all thought the same thing.  Who was crazy enough to first try an oyster? 

Well, we would imagine whoever it was wasn’t human.  We envision a young Algonquin or Chowanog playing by the shore, spotting a Great Blue Heron dining alongside an otter, each showing off their expertise skills of prying open a funny-looking shell ready to enjoy the delicious reward inside.  The young native surely tried it next and thought, well, this is way better than Brussel sprouts!

And so it began. 

Oysters have been consumed by humans for thousands of years, and if you haven’t joined the club, well we invite you to do so the next time you’re visiting the Outer Banks.  We would also recommend for first timers, going one of these two routes:

1)    Oyster Rockefeller:
Because bacon and cheese make everything yummy, even when mixed and baked with oysters and spinach.

Here's a recipe from outerbanksrecipes.com if you'd like to give it a try yourself.  

Oysters Rockefeller With Creamy Spinach & Bacon

Or if you’re ready to go raw, we suggest:  

2)    The Oyster Shooter:

Grab a shot glass and mix in your favorite lager, some cocktail sauce, maybe a dab of your favorite hot sauce, leaving room for the main attraction, then mix it all together and toss in that raw oyster.  Now down the hatch!

Next you will have quickly worked your way up to the raw oyster atop a saltine, first dipped in melted butter with a dab of hot sauce and wonder where those dozen oysters disappeared to whilst flagging the waitress down to order another round.

So why are we talking about Oysters? 

Well, it’s finally an “R” month.  And you have likely heard that oysters should only be consumed in months with an “R”.  So basically, not in the summer, and as we approach the change in seasons, well we just naturally start to crave those beloved slimy delicacies.  This rule of thumb began thousands of years ago by the way, but now with the advancement of oyster farming and refrigeration technology, you can enjoy these salt-water bivalve mollusks all year long.  If a local restaurant here on the Outer Banks is serving them, that means they are going to be just fine for consumption.  So, the real question then becomes, where can I learn more about where to find the best oysters on the Outer Banks?  

Well, we’re glad you asked.  We have many local restaurants where you can saddle up to the raw bar to indulge in freshly shucked oysters. They’ll even steam them for you!  If you’re lucky, you just may sit down in front of the staff mermmelier …  yup, that’s a thing… and walk away with a full belly and a full brain with a newfound respect and bank of knowledge for all things oysters.  Oh, and by the way, a Mermelier is to oysters what a Sommelier is to wine.

You can get oysters at every seafood restaurant from Corolla down to Nags Head and beyond. 

But here are some of our staff favorites:

Corolla: North Banks Restaurant & Raw Bar

Duck: Village Table and Tavern, and Roadside Bar & Grill in Duck (time it right, and they’ll have their insanely delicious oyster stew on the menu served over a bed of mashed potatoes; the combo will make you want to hug the mama of the next stranger you run into.  If she tries the stew, she’ll want to hug you back.)

Kitty Hawk: I Got Your Crabs Jimmy’s Seafood Buffet, Pony and the Boat, and Awful Arthur’s Oyster Bar

Kill Devil Hills: Two Roads Tavern and Goombays Grille & Raw Bar

Nags Head: Blue Moon Beach Grille, Basnight's Lone Cedar, and Miller's Waterfront Restaurant

Manteo: Blue Water Grill & Raw Bar

If you are looking for where to grab some of the best seafood around, oysters included here ya go! 

On Top of Being Delicious, They’re Important to the OBX!

Farmed oysters make up for just over half of the revenue North Carolina’s shellfish industry earns.  Oyster farming is a serious business.  On top of providing tasty delicacies for us, oysters help improve the water quality, prevent coastal erosion, and create habitats for other marine wildlife. If you want to learn more about it, and taste some incredibly fresh local oysters, there’s an event on October 27th hosted by the NC Coastal Federation and Coastal Studies Institute that is bound to be a fun filled evening with the potential to hear or use the term “mermmelier”. 

I'm Ready to get Shuckin'

As luck would have it, we have several seafood markets to choose from where you can find all of the shucking accouterments you’ll need to get the job done. 

Or come on down for the 22nd Annual Oink and Oyster Roast on October 7th, the Outer Banks Seafood Festival on October 21st, or the THE BIG Currishuck all-you-can-eat Oyster Festival on November 25th!  

Final Fun Facts

1. If you find a small crab (called a Pea Crab) with your oyster, it means it came from a super clean, healthy bed with high-quality water.  That's very good luck!  You know what else is good luck, finding a pearl.  Which you already knew. You can eat the crab; don't eat the pearl.
2. You can bury oyster shells in your garden to add calcium as a natural fertilizer.  Your plants will love it!
3. The 'Don't eat oysters in months without an "R" is an old adage that began thousands of years ago based on spawning seasons affecting the flavor and quality of the meat and the lack of refrigeration that was available (non-existent rather) during warmer months. So, pulling oysters out of the water into warm air was the issue.  Now we have ice and refrigerators, and we can eat them all year round. 
4. Oysters come in varying sizes and flavors based on where they were harvested. Local varieties include Crab Slough (sweet with a buttery finish), Savage Inlet (briny), Devil Shoal (sweet and salty), and Slash Creek (clean flavor with varying salinity based on the tide), to name a few.         
5. Oysters are rich in nutrients and are good for you!  

Lastly, here is a southern Outer Banks staple recipe we wanted to share just in time for the holidays. 

Oyster Stuffing 

• .5 lb Butter
• 1  tbsp Chopped Garlic
• 1  cup Chopped Onion
• 1  cup Chopped Celery
• 2  pt Shucked Oysters
• 6  cups Diced Dried Bread
• .5 cup Dry Sherry
• 2  cups Clam Juice
• Salt & Pepper
• Scarborough Fair Blend (Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley & Sage)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat pan or wok over medium flame. Add oysters and poach in dry sherry for approximately 2 minutes, until oyster edges curl. Remove oysters from liquid to cool. In the same pan, add butter, garlic, onion and celery to liquid and simmer 5 minutes. Add clam juice, salt & pepper and scarborough fair herbs, then bring to a boil. Add bread cubes, toss to moisten and season to taste. Fold in whole or roughly chopped, cooled oysters. Move to baking-safe dish, cover with foil and cook 25-30 minutes. For a crispy outer layer, remove foil last 2 minutes of baking.

(from https://www.outerbanks.org/recipes)