I keep seafood really, really simple - we have the advantage here on the coast of accessing several things quite fresh.

We like the Hama Hama yearlings, dredged lightly in flour and fried in coconut oil. Salt and pepper, served with lemon wedges.

I don't make an oyster chowder, but do sometimes make the soup or stew we are served at a fundraiser we go to most years at the beach. No potatoes. It's simply 1/2 and 1/2 or combo of milk and cream (some will even use evaporated milk but I do not). Few shallots, garlic, softened in butter medium pan, liquid added and brought to temperature, chopped oysters added and cooked only a couple of minutes, salt and pepper, dash of tabasco. If the oysters are jarred some of that liquid can be added with the oysters. Pat of butter and a bit of parsley each bowl.

oysters with fresh ginger and scallions stir fried.

blanch oysters in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, drain. heat oil in wok add sliced green onions (1- 1/2 cups),

garlic 2 cloves sliced,

ginger 1 T sliced ,

and stir fry for a few seconds add oysters, 4 T sherry, 4 T soy sauce, 1/4 t salt and -1/2 t sugar stir fry over high heat quickly to heat through, serve immediately with rice is best

My favorite way to eat them (besides raw) is New Orleans style Po Boy. Here is Guy Fieri's recipe. I use my own Cajun seasoning in the breading, and I use my Louis salad dressing instead of Remoulade:

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise,
  1/3 cup chili sauce,
  1 Tbsp minced green onion,
  2 tsp lemon or lime juice,
  1 tsp prepared horseradish
  dash of hot sauce or cayenne
• Combine all ingredients and mix well.

I use chili sauce that I make myself (and freeze portions of), which consists of Ancho, Pasilla, and Guajillo chilies, plus garlic and oregano. For hot sauce, I use my own smoked chocolate Habanero sauce, which I make in large quantities.

DH tried bbq'd oysters recently at a restaurant as part of a seafood platter. He said that they were delicious too. Sadly they had garlic, no it was a no go for me.

I would slap them on a pizza!

Raw is the best way to eat them (as long as you KNOW they are fresh)!

Panko to fry them? No, no, never!! Dredge them in cornmeal that is lightly seasoned with Tony Cachere's (spelling?) seasoning. Or even in just plain seasoned flour.

Or Oyster Stew! Paul Prudhomme's recipe (Louisiana Kitchen) is wonderful.

Rusty

Drago's Charbroiled - other than fresh, raw, eaten oceanside - my very favourite way. Even people who don't normally eat oysters have eaten them when we've prepared them this way.

The only thing missing from the recipe linked below is that you have to splash the butter a bit, so that the flames lick the edges of the oysters. A good baguette is mandatory as the juices are fabulous!

Dragos Charbroiled Oysters

Nekotish, have never had Drago's, but Mansur's in BR has the best I've ever eaten! Supposedly Drago's will be opening a restaurant here in the next year or so.

Bread dressing. Celery, onions, fennel sauted in copious amounts of salted butter...diced dried bread cubes seasoned with poultry herbs, oysters and their juices, chicken stock and a beaten egg or two. Bake in a casserole. Yum.

CindyMac, what does BR stand for? I'm on the west coast of Canada, so maybe something very obvious that I'm not getting. Had Drago's on a couple of business trips to New Orleans.

Nekotish, I googled "Mansur's" and without going further than the predictive typing suggestions, it gave me Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I've had fresh, raw, oceanside, expertly prepared and was not impressed, though I've had decent, non-slimy okra. :) The charbroiled sounds much better. :)

Only raw with lemon juice for us. John, what are you eating raw ones with?

Scalloped oysters. Buttered casserole, layer cracker crumbs, layer oysters, salt n pepper, pour heavy cream over (must be heavy cream), another layer crackers, oysters, salt n pepper, more cream. Bake about 40 to 50 minutes at 350, then add a thin layer of buttered cracker crumbs, bake another 15 minutes. Serve.

Leftovers warmed the next day are better yet.

We put our oysters on the grill and then eat them as is with hot sauce or make prime rib sliders on potato rolls with oysters and hot sauce.

Sides are simple. Steamed kale and asian slaw

I also love oyster stew for a brunch but that is a "treat" because it is so heavy with cream and fat.

Oyster stew. Oysters Rockefeller. Oyster dressing. Fried oysters.

We had grilled oysters at Satyricon Restaurant in Ipanema, the first restaurant we went to in Rio. Fortunately, it was an Italian restaurant, and so I could read the menu, but the oysters we had were part of a platter, and so I do not remember the exact description of them, but they were definitely grilled. I liked them very much that way, and they were served on the half-shells and may have been grilled that way.

Martha Stewart has a bunch of oyster recipes, and there are a lot of videos on how to grill oysters, which I've been wanted to try. I haven't picked one yet, however.

Drago's recipe looks fairly straightforward - maybe I will start with that.

CindyMac, what does BR stand for? I'm on the west coast of Canada, so maybe something very obvious that I'm not getting. Had Drago's on a couple of business trips to New Orleans.

Sorry, I thought you lived in New Orleans. BR is Baton Rouge. We're about 70 miles northwest of NO.

Chargrilled oysters are on many local menus, but Mansur's are the best.

Stir fry?! Who knew. I'm going to have to try that.

Islay, I usually eat raw oysters with mignonette (fine minced shallots, vinegar, pepper).

We just fry the oysters from a jar - if commercial, they're not good enough to eat raw and are usually not a flavorful variety.

Wellfleet oysters are right out of the shellfish grants in the marsh and the restaurant, Pearl, on the pier has a killer oyster taco entree (Massachusetts, Cape Cod).