Here are 5 tips to best enjoy your first SC oyster roast
Invited to an oyster roast but don’t know what to expect? Here’s your guide to this southern coastal tradition.
During the winter, up and down the Carolina coast, you’ll see advertisements for these community events. From Hilton Head to Kiawah Island, Charleston to Murrells Inlet and Myrtle Beach, many charities put on these festivals to raise money.
At an oyster roast, the shellfish are usually steamed or boiled, then brought out to communal outdoor tables, where diners open the shells themselves. Most oyster roasts are all-you-can-eat, with patrons as young as 4 years old digging into heaping piles of shellfish.
Phillip Bates, owner of Hot Fish Club in Murrells Inlet, S.C., said he plans on cooking 80 to 100 bushels for the restaurant’s Feb. 18 roast, benefiting the Grand Strand Young Professionals. Bloody Marys and music round out a typical festival.
Here are 5 tips for your first South Carolina oyster roast.
1. Oyster roasts are a cold-weather activity. Look out for them in months containing the letter ‘r.’ This is because oysters are less likely to contain harmful bacteria when they grow in cooler waters.
2. Bring a glove and oyster knife if you have them. Oyster knives are pointy, but not particularly sharp. A glove can protect a newbie from “poking a hole through their hand, which kind of takes the fun out of it,” Bates said.
3. You’ll probably learn to shuck an oyster yourself, but you won’t be alone. When you stand at a communal table for the first time, Bates advised “all you gotta do is say, ‘I’ve never eaten oysters before.’” Your mates will want to help. “They’re gonna show you how to pop it. They’re gonna do it for you. They’re gonna make you try it and see your reaction, whether you just hate it or like it.”
4. Add some sauces. While some slurp the oyster straight out of its shell, many aficionados put the oyster meat on a saltine and add sauces. Popular condiments include hot sauce (like Tabasco or Texas Pete), cocktail sauce and lemon juice.
5. Never eaten an oyster before? Doctor them up, “close your eyes and eat a couple,” Bates said. “You’ll see why most people that don’t like them probably never tried them.” If you can’t stomach the fishy taste or are allergic to shellfish, many events sell special tickets for kids and non-oyster-eating adults.
