Foraged Hama Hama Oysters, Grilled & Served with Butter Two Ways

My family and I visited the Hama Hama oyster farm in Lilliwaup, Washington for one of their Farm Day events a few weeks ago. For a few weekends out of the year, they open up their beaches for oyster and clam foraging. It’s an amazing deal because 1) you don’t need a license, 2) the clams and oysters are cheaper than you’d ever get in the store, and 3) you’re making memories foraging for your own food.

We ended up taking 90 pounds of oysters home that weekend. I created this easy oyster recipe to let the big, meatier oysters shine. They’re grilled and served with cilantro-curry and miso butters for dipping. Read on for the recipe and a look at what it was like foraging for Hama Hama oysters.

Grilled Hama Hama Oysters

Foraging for Oysters

I had a very different idea of what foraging was going to be like. I volunteered at the Hama Hama Oyster Company’s cooking class at The Book Larder a few months ago and could have sworn I remembered the instructor saying that sometimes they secure oysters in bags to poles so that they roll and tumble with the waves. This might be true, but I think I just assumed the oysters were going to be in neat piles when we arrived.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Looking back, I blush at how silly it was to assume that the Hama Hama team would have just placed oysters out for us to pickup like it was some kind of damn Easter egg hunt. But what took me off guard was the fact that there were thousands of oysters all over the beach. And since it was low tide, we were literally stepping on them. I was having a mini crisis and kept nervously saying, “Aren’t we killing them?” but there was literally nowhere else to walk at times. I felt like a cartoon trying to tip toe over them. Hopefully, other people had a similar experience because I’d hate for Hama Hama to ban me from their beaches.

Minus the fear of killing the little guys, oyster foraging was a ton of fun.

Some of the people on the beach told us the smaller ones are best for eating raw. They also said that you want to avoid oysters that are stuck together and only pick ones that are free of barnacles. Since there were so many oysters, this was pretty easy to do. Before we knew it, we had 90 pounds of oysters. 90!

My nieces had way more fun than I thought they would. The little one, who is very cautious, surprisingly loved it. And I was surprised by how many kids were there, and even more surprised that none of them were running like the Hama Hama employees asked. I think they could sense how easily they could twist an ankle on all the rubble.

A side note on clam digging

The Hama Hama Oyster Company also grows clams on their beaches. We were allowed to take home an unlimited number of clams during their Farm Day event. I was pretty excited by this because I could easily eat 100 clams in a sitting.

Well, that excitement was pretty short lived. Our clam digging efforts were a total cluster. You have to dig for clams, which I thought wouldn’t be too difficult. Turns out, I was wrong. It was back-breaking work trying to dig for clams, only to find broken oyster shells or baby clams the size of your pinky nail. I’d all but given up on clams until we stumbled across a bunch on the way back.

I brought a bucket full of clams to the checkout line and was all pleased with myself and my nieces for sticking with it. Thankfully for my wallet (not so much for my ego), the Hama Hama employee said she’d check my clams to make sure I didn’t pick up any “mudders,” which are clams that look closed but then when you pop them open they’re filled with sand. Well…all but a pound of our clams were mudders. That was less than 1/4 of the bucket! I was pretty pissed, but thankful that 1) I didn’t waste money and 2) I didn’t try making them and end up with a pot full of mud!

The Recipe

One of the challenges when we got home was trying to figure out how to eat 90 pounds of oysters in the next few days. We ended up eating about half raw and then grilling the rest. Since bigger oysters can be less palatable when raw, I encourage you to use bigger oysters for grilling. You can grill as many as your family can eat. No sweat if you don’t finish all of them. Grilled oysters can last in the fridge for 1-2 days and make a great addition to soup or pasta.

Serves 6-8 | Active 35 minutes | 35 minutes total (longer if you’re new to shucking)

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs. of medium-large oysters (~3-4″ long), shells on
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, minced
• 1 tsp. sweet curry powder
• 1 Tbsp. white or red miso (I used red)
• Lime wedges for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare your grill (I used a gas grill):

Heat the grill over medium heat. Add the oysters (shells on) directly to the grate. You can pack them in. Close the grill lid and cook for about 15 minutes. This helps loosen the shell for shucking and gives the oyster a chewier texture, similar to a clam. Since you can eat oysters raw, it’s okay to under cook them. So don’t worry about asking yourself, “Are these done?” You can take them off the grill. 🙂 The biggest thing to be mindful of is not using too high of heat. If you hear oysters popping, turn down the heat!

2. Shuck the oysters:

If you’ve never shucked an oyster, the Hama Hama Oyster Company has a great tutorial. Lay the oyster down on a cutting board so that the flattest side is facing up and the hinge of the shell is facing your (gloved!) dominant hand. Stick the tip of a shucking knife into the hinge (you should be able to find an area to stick it in) and push the knife in about 1/4″ if you can (sometimes it’s tough). Give the knife a turn clockwise until the hinge pops. Turn the knife flat and cut along the bottom of the oyster, going all around the sides. You should be able to take the top shell off. With the shell off, give the bottom of the oyster another scrape with the knife to make sure it’s detached. Set aside and repeat.

3. Make the butter:

Melt two separate saucepans over medium-low heat. Put one stick of butter into each of the pans and melt, giving them a swirl every once in a while to prevent browning. Reduce the heat if the butter starts to bubble.

4. In one of the saucepans, add the cilantro and curry powder.

Season with a pinch of salt and stir to incorporate. Remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

5. In the other saucepan, add the miso.

Whisk constantly until incorporated. Remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

6. Arrange the oysters on a platter.

Serve with the butter and lime wedges immediately. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Calories: 510 | Calories from fat: 342 | Fat: 38.5g | Saturated fat: 21.8g | Cholesterol: 267mg | Sodium: 511mg | Carbs: 13.5g | Fiber: .1g | Sugars: 3g | Protein: 26.2g

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Nutritional Facts Disclaimer: I am not a registered nutritionist and therefore these numbers are approximate. I researched the serving sizes and facts for each ingredient in this recipe (mostly using the manufacturer labels and this site), but slight variations in things like seasoning, garnishes, and substitutions can change the nutritional information. Use this information only as a general indication of your nutritional intake.