Oysters anyone?

This is a month with the letter R in it but even if it weren’t, you could safely eat oysters (they are sold, in case  you were wondering, at LaBonne’s market in Salisbury and probably at the fish truck in Sharon as well, but I can’t swear to it).

That old rule about eating oysters only in months with the letter R apparently had nothing to do with the oysters. It was instituted in the days before there was proper refrigeration. The non-R months are the ones when it’s hot and shellfish might spoil in the truck.

One thing you should remember, though, is that oysters suck in the water around them. It has been found in those hot R-containing months that oysters from the Gulf Coast have a high level of human pathogens in them.

In researching this story, I’ve been surprised by how many people go into raptures when you mention oysters. My father, for one, loves oysters, and a great treat for him would be to go to the Drake Hotel in Chicago, around the corner from his office, and enjoy a big platter of all sorts of ice cold shellfish, slathered in a horseradishy red sauce.

Certainly they are lovely creatures. If you have developed an appreciation for them (and if you are able to get nice, fresh ones), then apparently they are delicious as well. In some parts of the world, they used to be a staple food. Native Americans are said to have left mountains of shells behind. Nowadays, they’re a little too expensive to be treated as anything but, well, a special treat.

Valentine’s Day is approaching but that is not why this column is devoted to oysters this week. No one has definitively proved that oysters are an aphrodisiac, but then again that seems like a very hard quality to prove anyway. A team of American and Italian researchers, however, did study oysters to see if there was any scientific basis for their reputation. One thing they discovered is that oysters are unusually high in zinc, a mineral that helps create testosterone. Oysters apparently also have a rare amino acid that can give a boost to your sex hormones.

On another level, oysters are rich in selenium (a fairly hard mineral to find in foods), iron, calcium and vitamin A.

These health benefits could be offset by the fact that oysters can also make you quite sick, depending on their freshness and where they come from. One Web site notes that oysters are the most heavily regulated food in America, and that’s saying something. This is a country with strict ( if not always effective) health regulations.

As with any food that you eat raw, you’ll want to get your oysters from a source that you trust absolutely. And you will want to consume them on the day you buy them (not just because they’re safer but also because they’ll be tastier). Probably your best bet, if you’re an oyster novice, is to go to a reputable oyster bar such as the world famous one at Grand Central Terminal (where you can also order your oysters cooked in a stew or chowder).

If you want to take a stab at oysters here at home, think about cooking them. This recipe for fried oyster sandwiches is adapted from “The Martha Stewart Cookbook.�

                                                 Fried oyster sandwich

2 or 3 oysters, shucked; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for dredging;  

1 egg, lightly beaten; 2 tablespoons cornmeal; canola oil for frying;

juice of half a lemon; sea salt and freshly cracked pepper; 1 tablespoon          mayonnaise; 1 garlic clove;

two slices of a good artisanal bread such as Ecce Panis or Chabaso

To make garlic mayonnaise, you can roast a clove of garlic at about 350 degrees until it is meltingly soft; then mash it into your mayonnaise. You can also chop your clove, saute it in a little olive oil until soft and then mix with your mayo.

Set aside.

Heat the oil until very hot but not smoking. Meanwhile, dredge the oysters in flour, then dip them in the beaten egg, then dredge them through the cornmeal. Fry the oysters until they are golden brown, about three to four minutes. Drain on paper towels (if  you want them to drain really well, put a page or two of folded newspaper under the paper towel).

Heat the bread slightly. Slather on your garlic mayonnaise. Add the oysters. In place of the mayonnaise, you can use a crushed avocado.