Oysters

"Everyone" says they are gross and slime? *I* don't, I say they are absolutely delicious!

I love oysters. Raw, in oyster stew, fried Japanese style with panko, in oyster dressing, canned smoked oysters, you name it, any which way, they are YUMMY!

Go ahead and try them. Don't be afraid of what they look like or what other people have said about how they feel. Do what Dr. Seuss says in "Green Eggs and Ham"..."try them, try them"

To me, raw oysters taste like the ocean smells. Fresh, and clean, and a little bit salty.

Some people squeeze fresh lemon on them; some a dollop of cocktail sauce. I like them with cocktail sauce and a saltine cracker with soft (real) butter on it....it's the way we ate them growing up in New Orleans.

Oysters are good fried, in gumbo, in dressing, just about any way, to me.

Here in Mississippi oyster season just opened in a limited area. Can't wait until they hit the local market. Yum.

I love them! And clams, too!
My Mom introduced me to them when I turned 13.
A little lemon juice is all I need, very occasional a little cocktail sauce.
I went to an all you can eat place once with a raw bar and I had 3 dozen - I was in heaven!
But there's certainly more than one way to enjoy them.
I also love oyster stew on a cold winter evening - I make some up over Christmas break as a treat for me (the rest of my family does not care for it).
Oyster/clam connoisseurs can tell you that different varieties have subtle differences in flavor.
They can be a bit pricey, though.
You might want to go out with a friend who already likes them and try a few of theirs.
Or have a half dozen (or smallest amount available) to try them.
Or have an oyster shooter.
I like the consistency.
To me - slimy means okra - and I just can't eat that.

http://www.themermaidnyc.com/sub/oyster.php

I wouldn't say it is an "acquired" taste, so much as either you like them or you don't. You don't really learn to like them.

Lightly steamed, dipped in butter on a saltine, with an ice-cold beer on the side... Yum!
You can shake a little hot sauce on them too.

Raw is not normally where people start with oysters. Try lightly steamed or fried... which are totally different from each other. Gotta try both. :)

I never understood how someone could NOT like oysters! They're favorite treat for my husband and for me.

Try them. Just try them. Be aware:
- different preparations taste different (duh!), like others have said.
- different varieties DO have a different taste. Some are saltier & brinier than others. Not sure if you can find a good fresh seafood restaurant where you are, but that's the best place to experiment. Put yourself in the hands of a knowledgeable waiter and ask for help.
- if you're the adventurous type, when they're very fresh & raw, try them plain, or with a little lemon juice or with a small amount of cocktail sauce.

You'll never know until you try them! Share a plate with a friend and enjoy! Then again, maybe it's better if you don't -- then there are more left for me!

Well, if you don't like them....you don't eat them again.

Keep in mind, that some like lemon and some like Frank's Red hot and some like Tabasco, and some like _________. You might like yours with Frank's, but if you try with lemon first you might think you don't like ALL oysters.

So commit to trying a few of them, with different things on them. Then you'll know for sure. Also, they're best with....beer. :-) Not ON them. Before or after. :-)

The taste bothers some people, but also, it could be texture thing - served raw, they are typically chilled and have a slippery chewy texture. Sometimes that texture is what turns people off.

But you don't really know until you try, right? So what's the worst that will happen - you'll find out they are not for you. Personally, to me it's not any different than other seafood (steamer clams, calamari, etc.) and I love it all!

You'll never know if you like them or not unless you try them.

It's the only way.

I have never tried raw, but I like cooked and smoked, and I love them in turkey stuffing.

The flavor is hard to describe - it's very delicate. It's not fishy, or even shrimpy. If an oyster has a strong flavor, it's spoiled.
I love them raw with lemon and Tabasco, washed down with a cold beer. I love them fried either by themselves or on a poboy. I love them in gumbo, and in cornbread dressing.

It's served raw, on ice and you add your tabasco, lemon, and horseradish. Any combo, all 3 or none. Open your mouth wide, place oyster in the length of your mouth, throw your head back and just let the oyster slide off the shell to the back of your throat and swallow. No one here can give you an opinion, as this is definitely an opinion you have to form for yourself. It is an aquired taste for a unique shellfish. Cooked oysters are a different ballgame, kind of like calamari. Give it a try either way and good luck!

Yummy. They taste like the sea. Fresh and a bit salty. Good with a little tabasco. Good grilled and in chowder too.

I can't eat them. The batch that I first tasted them on were not 100% fresh, and were NASTY. If they aren't 100% fresh, you probably won't like them. My parents squeeze the lemon juice on them then dip them in the shrimp cocktail sauce that usually comes with them. My mom also gets some of the horse radish that comes with it on there. Crazy woman... :) I've heard the tabasco thing before.

ETA: Just steer clear of the "Rocky Mountain" variety! ;)

Love them cooked and out of the can, and I like the fresh ones in oyster stew and make oyster stew/soup from the canned ones. Like to use them in dressing for Thanksgiving dinner (turkey / dressing). NO CAN DO the RAW on the half shell.
Canned versus raw, no similarity in taste or texture.

My mom always made oyster stew when I was a kid.
I LOVED it!!!!
Until I saw the raw oysters O. day. :'(
It had a yummy milk/butter broth.
I've never made it but it might be a good way to first try oysters.
I'm sur you could google a recipe for Oyster Stew and find it.

I've loved them since the first time I had oysters on the half. In fact just the post title and I JUMPED on it / started craving. Yum. Yum. Yum. I waaaaaant oysters!!!

Sniff.

Flavor depends on many things:

- Type (Kumamoto v Paci v ______ name a bay)
- Raw or cooked

If cooked... HOW.

I'm not a fan of most cooked oysters. But steamed open in white whine or grilled with just a little bit of sorrel sauce and bacon? OMG. Heaven.

Raw they should NOT be slimy. They should be crisp and juicy (kind of like an apple), smell like salt, taste like bracing sea air stepping from inside to outside on a boat. Like a burst of fresh air at sea (if they taste like an old stinky beach, or are mushy, spit. It. Out. That means they're dead. Oysters need to be eaten within minutes of shucking, or they die and start rotting. HUGE difference. Like the difference between steak and green meat.)

So: Crisp, fresh, salty, vivacious (like soda compared to still water), buttery or creamy = a good raw oyster.

Cooked WELL, they're a lot like mushrooms meet cheesepuffs... So maybe sort of like stuffed mushrooms.

I really don't like fried oysters... The become oily and chewy.

Canned or jarred oysters ARE slimy, and fishy, and definitely appeal to a certain kind of person that is NOT me. Icky.

Smoked oysters are okay-ISH. Like smoked salmon meets olives. Eh. Okay. (I know some people who are as in live with smoked oysters as I am with on the half or grilled).

You just gotta try it.
Just try it.
There is no point in hearing what it tastes like, you just gotta try it.
Even my kids, have eaten those. Even my picky eating son!

Just eat it raw or cooked.
Squeeze lemon on it.
Or tabasco.
Or whatever else you want.
There are no rules. Just eat it as you want with whatever on it, that you like.

What you describe are oyster shooters. They're called shooters because you shoot them into your mouth and swallow them whole. The tobasco sauce is to give them a flavor.

I like oysters when they're breaded and fried. That way they are not gummy or slimy or chewy. I don't know how to describe their flavor. It is an acquired taste for most of us tho my father liked them from the first time he ate them. I also love them in oyster stew, whether the oysters are fresh or canned.

I suggest that oyster stew using canned oysters is a good way to start. Canned oyster's flavor is milder.

I'm not a big fan of raw oysters but fried or grilled (in shell) are divine. Try them cooked. Like all sushi, raw is an acquired taste. I like my tuna raw but I hate salmon raw because it is so fatty and slimy.

You never know until you try!! I think location can depend how they are prepared. Like many foods, oyster preparation can be a regional thing.

Personally, I think they are disgusting. I hope to never consume them again. I never really understood the "acquired taste" thing. Why would I want to eat something I don't like over and over, in an attempt to force a liking? I'd rather just eat something I naturally like!!

Wow after reading this I am surprised. I really only thought oysters were eaten raw. I guess being a midwest girl I am clueless. I have tried them raw and it tasted really good but I almost choked on it. I can't swallow big things and I was told not to chew them. So after trying to chew it up, I just swallowed and panicked for a sec when it felt like it was stuck in my throat. I would definitely try them again if they were cooked or steamed.
That way I could chew first.:)

Think fishy fishy slightly salty taste. I don't care for the strong fish flavor. Tuna isn't a super strong flavor and it's the only fish I eat except Long John Silvers fish.

My sister puts Oysters in her turkey dressing and I don't care too much for that. I like it much better with pork sausage instead.

Oysters are just a super fishy tasting example of a food.

Personally I think they taste like salty snot raw (very very gross) and gummy and chewy cooked or fried. Not very appetizing to me. I tried them ... did not like them and won't eat them LOL

HOWEVER, I'm picky LOL Give them a try with the suggestions already mentioned. If you like them ... well that's great :) If you don't ... you don't have to eat them again :)