Tasty Relish

It was a modest light snack today rather than traditional roast lamb or turkey to celebrate Easter.
Apart from that raw oysters are something of a treat which we don’t have every Sunday of the year. Or every week for that matter.
I appreciate they are not to everyone’s taste, and I recall that for that very reason one Christmas and New Year spent in France I seemed to be having oysters for every meal. Admittedly, that was of my own doing. The price in the local fish market dropped significantly on Christmas Eve and although they came in baskets of three  dozen that seemed little problem to me.  What I had not bargained for was that others in the family would have a similar idea about the attraction of oysters for the festive break. And as it turned out I was the only one eating and enjoying them.
Today’s oyster treat was somewhat less in number, but to me at least just as tasty.
Oyster fishing was once big business in the Solent area, and though the oyster beds still provide substantial quantities of the delicacy, control on oyster catching, like controls on fishing generally, has reduced the dominance the industry once had, but thereby allowing the oyster beds to repopulate during a close season.
Even after years of enjoying oysters though, I still have not perfected the knack of opening them.   Yes, I manage, but am not nearly so slick as the oyster fishermen themselves.  Have you ever seen a Brittany oyster fisherman in action? They say professional oyster shuckers as they are called, take less than three seconds to open the shell.
Traditionally oysters are supposed to be an aphrodisiac, though I cannot say it has ever noticeably worked for me. But they do contain lots of nutrients including a high zinc content which is supposed to be beneficial.

Perhaps, I’ll just have to keep treating myself.