The 8 Ways NY Showed Its Passion For Molluscs at Empire Oyster

Every yr one C of New Yorkers come out to celebrate the piquant , toothsomeness of oysters at Empire Oyster , a jumbo party we throw with Oysterhood . We feature thousands ( yes , thousands ) of oysters from all over New York and invite key members of the oyster community include improbably speedy shuckers , seasoned raiser , and oyster - focused chef . It ’s always an awesome shucking clock time . This class we also make for in Long Island ’s own Blue Point Brewery to pair huitre with brews and cocktails . And even if you miss the event this yr , you may still partake in the play via this very tale ! Here are all the ways the event show some serious sea love .

Chefs battled it out to have the freshest oyster dish.

There are few thing more high-flown than a fresh , salty oyster knocked back raw . We had slew of those , but we also gave 10 NYC chef the chance to display their most originative , indulgent oyster creations possible . Then , we ask the gang to guess . From an huitre with smoke coleslaw and barbecue sauce to an “ oyster flapjack , ” these are the tasty takes they come up with :

Kumamoto Oyster Salad

Oyster Ceviche

Smoky Raw Oyster

Oyster Ètouffèe

Grilled Oyster on the Half Shell

Crispy Oyster Taco

Smoked Oyster with Thousand Island Mignonette

Long Island Oyster Escargot

Oyster Pancake

Blue Point even brought a beer made with oysters.

Well , oyster shells . It ’s the Blue Point Oyster Stout , which is brewed with oysters from Long Island ’s Great South Bay to give the stout it ’s full - flavored salinity . Not surprisingly , it pairs absolutely with a peeled oyster . They also brought the seaweed - brewed Pop Stopper , tin can of Toasted Lager and even their spiked Brewed Tonic . require more on that oyster coupling ? Well we compose thishandy guide to LI oysters .

Chefs told us the weirdest things they’ve ever put on oysters

Because their dishes were so originative , we call for the chefs about their unknown oyster - eating experimentation . For Chef Adam Raksin of Metropolis , it was a West Coast oyster poached in a hoppy IPA , then topped with licorice etymon and tangerine tree , which made for an unexpected , harmonious bite .

For Peter Canny of Goodnight Sonny , it was more out - of - the - box ( well , technically , jarful ): peach marmalade . “ I was extremely skeptical , because it sounded extremely weird , ” he said , “ but it was actually really honorable . ” The most audacious though ? That would be Andrew Sikoski of Dock ’s Oyster House , who knocked back an huitre with salted umber and some bacon , or as he account it “ sex in your mouth . ” We took his word for it .

Oysters were the center of a passionate debate.

Oysters have long been rumor to be an aphrodisiac . It ’s said that Casanova himself ate 50 oysters a day for breakfast so he could , um , perform . Then , in 2005 , scientists found that their amino acidsdobump up your libido . But , that ’s only one subject , so we count on we would do our own ( totally scientific - ish ) resume with the client at Empire Oyster . We ask as many people as we could if they believed huitre are an aphrodisiac , and through heap of blushing here were the results :

Farmers schooled us on growing oysters.

Since we enlisted oyster farmers from all over New York to come and shuck oysters at Empire Oyster , we opine this was a unspoilt prison term to pick their mentality about how exactly we get these salty sea treats . flex out , most are acquire , by hand – a method acting that is specially popular around New York . Take Kris Mielenhausen , who with his wife , Heather , were shucking their first - ever harvest time since starting Shelter Island Oyster Farm a few years ago . Most husbandman start their oysters from “ seeds ” ( essentially petite sister oysters ) that are then spring up in racks , grip , or cages . These act like a coral reef for local waterways and help to restore maritime life . That ’s why we recycled every oyster shell at the event to be reused byBillion Oyster Project , a nonprofit work to restore New York ’s Harbors to their original , maritime - life - filled glory by filling it with a billion oyster .

An artist painted an oyster masterpiece.

We enlist James Zdaniewski , aka “ Dr. Z ” – a pop art multimedia system creative person – to show off the beauty of NY ’s huitre by paint them into a jumbo map of Long Island , which graced an entire wall . This was the first time oysters were the subject of his work , and he said he was inspired by how oysters only a few miles aside from one another could have such different shapes and vividness .

A band celebrated oysters in song (and sax).

Even our music was dedicate to the love of slurp down salty pelecypod , thanks to the yacht rock set , Main Sail . ( Because come on , how could we not have racing yacht rock at this party ? ) For a discernment of their sound , think 1970 ’s erotic love boat with a steer of Steely Dan . These guys know how to make ambience , set off with sax instrumentalist Stan Killian ’s essential that every banding extremity wear a captain ’s lid on - stagecoach .

And, most importantly, thousands of oysters were devoured.

The dependable part of Empire Oyster ? Probably the sheer number of oysters that were criticize back : more than 10,100 . That ’s like , almost 25 a individual , which is enough to make you desire to take on the world , apparently . Some more stats :

And here ’s just a sampling of some of our favorite exposure :

Thrillist/Liz Clayman

Chefs battled it out to have the freshest oyster dish.#

Kumamoto Oyster Salad#

Oyster Ceviche#

Smoky Raw Oyster#

Oyster Ètouffèe#

Grilled Oyster on the Half Shell#

Crispy Oyster Taco#

Smoked Oyster with Thousand Island Mignonette#

Long Island Oyster Escargot#

Oyster Pancake#

Blue Point even brought a beer made with oysters.#

Chefs told us the weirdest things they’ve ever put on oysters#

Oysters were the center of a passionate debate.#

Farmers schooled us on growing oysters.#

An artist painted an oyster masterpiece.#

A band celebrated oysters in song (and sax).#

And, most importantly, thousands of oysters were devoured.#