A Simple Meal

I was puzzled when I saw that the shucked oysters we bought at Taylor Shellfish Farms on Saturday had a sell-by date of June 12. I'd always believed that oysters don't keep more than a couple of days, and these were were just packed in a plastic jar with a plastic lid. I thought I'd better cook them tonight to be safe. The mystery was solved when I removed the plastic lid and found a pull-top aluminum seal underneath. The oysters had been vacuum packed.

Neither Cynthia nor I were in the mood for any culinary complications, so I dredged the oysters in a mixture of flour, cornmeal, dried parsley, and a smattering of chopped chives from our garden, and fried them very briefly in hot butter and canola oil. Cynthia made a salad of raw sugar snap peas, radishes, chive flowers, lemon zest, and pepper.

With a bottle of New Zealand Oyster Bay* Sauvignon Blanc, we had ourselves an excellent meal.

*Taylor Shellfish Farms is located next to Oyster Creek -- how appropriate is that?