Fall RIVAH 2011 - The Rappahannock Record

44 t sauté them, broil them, steam them, stew them,
skewer them, drop them in a shot of vodka/beer/bloody
mary … just about anything,” said Croxton.
Woods says one of his favorite oyster recipes is a ham
and oyster pot pie.
raw, insisting that the less you do to them, the better.
However you like them, there are a few guidelines for
oyster serving and preparation:
bed of ice.
for about ten to 15 minutes to relax the muscles of the
oysters.
oysters will not need to be salted.
ing, or baking on the half-shell.
ence—smaller and younger oysters will most likely be
more tender.
rubbery, chewy waste of good shellfish. When the edges
begin to curl, they’ve had enough heat.
Just in case you needed another reason to suck down
some oysters, it might be worth mentioning that these
shellfish help the Chesapeake Bay. Oysters are a lynchpin
species, says Croxton, meaning that if we lose them,
the whole system could crumble. Each oyster planted
will filter 50 to 60 gallons of water a day, in addition
to producing millions of larvae that will develop into
future wild oysters. As they filter the water, removing
excess algae, sunlight can start penetrating the formerly
opaque water and spur grasses, which in turn produce
oxygen and hold down shifting soils.
“If you’re looking for guilt free gluttony, you’ve met
your match. The more you eat, the more we have to
plant. And the more we plant, the better off the Bay is,”
said Croxton.
There you have it, everything you need to know about
oysters in a nut—err—oyster shell!
Try ‘em before you buy ‘em
by Shannon Rice
For those who have been itching to
jump onto the oyster bandwagon but
are still intimidated by the delicacy, Merroir
Tasting Room in Topping provides a
tasty opportunity.
“If you like farm-to-fork style eating,
you’ll love this,” says executive chef
Peter Woods.
Located at Locklies Marina on the
Rappahannock River, Merroir is a gourmet
oyster tasting house featuring the
celebrated farms of Rappahannock
River Oyster Company, also on the
marina site.
The tasting room has four craft brews
on tap as well as a dozen different wines,
champagne and sangria.
For $10, visitors can indulge in samplings
of the RROC’s award-winning
oysters paired with local craft brews or
wine before they decide to purchase
some to take home.
Rappahannock, Stingray and Olde
Salt oysters are served with any of the
four mignonettes or sauces created inhouse
by chef Woods.
Other items served at Merroir include
clams, steamed shrimp and crab cakes.
Café and picnic tables outside the
tasting room provide a picturesque
view of the very waters the oysters came
from.
“You can’t get any fresher than this,”
says Woods.
In addition to the oysters, Merroir
retails every bottle of wine and beer it
serves.
Merroir is at 784 Locklies Creek Road
in Topping and is open from noon to
8 p.m. weekdays and noon to 9 p.m.
weekends.
Merroir Tasting Room is a gourmet oyster tasting house featuring the
celebrated farms of Rappahannock River Oyster Company.
Raw oysters should always be served chilled on a bed
of ice.
Merroir visitors can view their oysters being harvested right on site.
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