How To Freeze Oysters?

[milk]

Edit: Ok, let's make this brief. :) I just need some tips on how to best freeze them. How do you guys do it?

 

[milk]

User squanch in another thread says: "I usually buy 2 dozen oysters at a time, then put them in little bags and freeze them alive in the shell."

But can you really just put them in plastic bags like that, normal plastic bags, one oyster per bag? Which is what I'm figuring...

 

[XPlus]

For the price you pay, I believe it's not worth it.
You'd probably be better off eating canned oysters if you can't get them fresh so often.

 

[tara]

I've been known to buy a dozen oysters and stick most of them in an ice cube tray (one per cube), then tipped them into a sealable container when frozen, so I can take out a couple at at time easily. I generally cook mine when I can get them, so I don't know how much loss there is in texture and taste if eating raw.

 

[squanch]

User squanch in another thread says: "I usually buy 2 dozen oysters at a time, then put them in little bags and freeze them alive in the shell."

But can you really just put them in plastic bags like that, normal plastic bags, one oyster per bag? Which is what I'm figuring...

I use the "Frühstücks-Beutel" from Aldi (I guess you would call them "sandwich bags" in english? Or look for restaurant portioning bags)
They are the perfect size for one oyster and it's really just to keep my freezer clean.
Also great for freezing small portions of liver, portioning other seafood etc..

I tried those frozen blocks of korean oysters you can get at the asian supermarkets for a while. They are a lot cheaper but don't taste as good and I don't really trust the quality of them.

 

[milk]

Thanks guys.

For the price you pay, I believe it's not worth it.
You'd probably be better off eating canned oysters if you can't get them fresh so often.

I can get them for cheap. A dozen oysters for 20 reais, that's less than 10 dollars. Or am I mistaken in finding that cheap? At this price eating a couple a day wouldn't be very expensive.

The only canned oysters I found are immersed in sunflower oil.

I've been known to buy a dozen oysters and stick most of them in an ice cube tray (one per cube), then tipped them into a sealable container when frozen, so I can take out a couple at at time easily. I generally cook mine when I can get them, so I don't know how much loss there is in texture and taste if eating raw.

Nice. What about freezing them raw? Do you think it would be allright to thaw them (in the fridge, as web articles recommend) and then cook them, nutrient-wise?

I freeze liver in ice trays like forum member foster pride does. I blend it with some water and pour it into the tray. I remove the cubes with a butter knife, just stick it at the sides to "unglue" the four sides of the cube and it neatly slides out. Then I dissolve it in a coffee mug. I guess I could do the same with frozen oyster cubes, remove two at a time and let them thaw in the fridge and then cook them.

I use the "Frühstücks-Beutel" from Aldi (I guess you would call them "sandwich bags" in english? Or look for restaurant portioning bags)
They are the perfect size for one oyster and it's really just to keep my freezer clean.
Also great for freezing small portions of liver, portioning other seafood etc..

I tried those frozen blocks of korean oysters you can get at the asian supermarkets for a while. They are a lot cheaper but don't taste as good and I don't really trust the quality of them.

Appreciate the reply. I'll stick to ice trays for now. I was considering bags because the web articles I found on freezing oysters mentioned a special kind of bag to avoid "freezer burn".

 

[lvysaur]

I don't think oysters are even necessary if you have a zinc supplement.

 

[milk]

According to some forum members in another topic, zinc supplements cause problems if taken continuously.

 

[tara]

Nice. What about freezing them raw? Do you think it would be allright to thaw them (in the fridge, as web articles recommend) and then cook them, nutrient-wise?

I buy them raw, freeze them raw, cook them when I'm about to eat them them (preferably in soup). I can't speak to the effect on nutrition other than that minerals don't disappear when you freeze or cook (though some vitamins can be damaged), so I assume the zinc is still there. I think Peat has said he cooks his - he referred to a friend who got sick from contaminated oysters.

 

[milk]

After a few weeks of doing oysters:

- They last two or three days in the fridge.
- They taste better if I just open them and cook them on the shell, obviously.
- If frozen in water (ice cubes), well, parts of them get kind of black, and chewy after I cook them. Kind of icky. I suppose the zinc is still there? Not the preferrable method, but convenient.

I think a couple oysters a day, for two or three days a week (while they last in the fridge) would be alright? More than that would be too much? (TMI alert) I ate six oysters the first time, and noticed my testicles were larger later in the shower. But a couple days afterwards they seemed to shrink more than usual. I'm guessing too much zinc at once + some kind of rebound effect.

 

[milk]

- My voice sometimes gets deeper after eating them.
- They taste good with lemon juice but the pro-metabolic effects seemed less pronouced afterwards.

 

[milk]

The commercialization of oysters has been prohibited for the time being in my state. The waters in the coast are going through a "red tide".

Red tide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So I can't get them live in the shell for now.

The only other oysters I'm able to get are canned, immersed in sunflower oil. I wonder if rinsing them and sauteeing them in coconut oil would be feasible? Or am I being too optmistic.

It's absolute PUFA poison for sure... just one drop of sunflower oil (Vit D supplement I took a few times) will make my hair turn very greasy in minutes.