On the half shell

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on February 25, 2008 at 19:45:

In Reply to: On the half shell posted by RRC on February 25, 2008 at 18:41:

: : I was reading this article when I came upon an interesting saying which I can not find on this site... "Ironically, the best dietary source of zinc - oysters - is also a source of cadmium. But you also get vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids from oysters, so you probably come out on the plus side with a dozen on the half shell."

: : Anyone have an idea what that means?

: Oysters are a bivalve which means their shells have two parts. Oysters are often served "on the half shell" which means using one of the two halves of the shell as a little dish.

The important thing about oysters on the half shell is that - provided they are opened carefully - the shell still contains the juices, which are lost if you scoop them out and put them on a plate. Other kinds of shellfish, such as scallops and mussels, can also be served on the half shell. It's less critical in this case because scallops and mussels don't have any juices to speak of, but the presence of the shell does prove that they are fresh shellfish and not recently-defrosted! (VSD)

• On the half shell R. Berg 26/February/08
  • On the half shell RRC 26/February/08