How to host a U.S. southern-style oyster roast

wild oysters

An oyster roast is a traditional outdoors party event on the southeastern U.S. coast. It's sticky and sandy and messy and hours of fun. Here's what you'll need to have one:

* freshly harvested oysters - quarter bushel per person. Keep them cool and damp before the roast.
* the burlap sacks they came in (or some large bath towels if there aren't any)
* a place to build an open fire
* a low metal table to put over the fire, to hold the oysters while they roast
* a shovel
* a hose connected to a ready supply of water
* tall wooden tables (standing height), preferably with large round holes cut into the middle, preferably laminated but covered in newspaper if not
* large plastic wastebuckets to put under the holes in the tables
* large, sturdy plastic baskets if interested in recycling the shells
* one roll of paper towels per four people
* oyster knives - one per person
* wide, shallow bowls of shrimp cocktail sauce - one or two per table
* a choice of sodas, beers, iced tea, water, or other beverages
* side dishes for people who want to attend but don't like oysters. Try a potluck.

Roasting the Oysters

Put the low metal table over the fire. Start the fire. When it's burning well, dump 2-3 bushels of oysters onto the table. Put the sacks over them and hose them down real good. Let them roast until their shells just start to open (check after the first ten minutes). Less time over the fire means gooey, juicy oysters. More time makes the flesh more firm. Hose them again as needed to keep them damp.


oysters roasting on an open fire

Set up the eating table(s) near the fire. If the table has a hole, put a wastebucket under it. If not, put two wastebuckets on opposite sides of the table - the key is to have wastebuckets within easy reach of any eater no matter where they're standing. In addition, if you plan to recycle the shells (to seed new oyster beds), have some separate baskets or buckets available to collect them. Place bowls of shrimp cocktail sauce and rolls of paper towels on each table. Spread the oyster knives around.


an oyster knife

Eating the Oysters

When oysters are done roasting, use the shovel to transfer them from the fire to the eating tables. Oysters will be steaming hot, so use caution when eating the first few. To open an oyster, insert the knife between the shells near the hinge, then twist. Be careful of sharp shell edges while doing this. Some people prefer to wear gloves while opening oysters.


pile of roasted oysters freshly shoveled onto an eating table

Oysters can be eaten plain by sucking them straight off the shell, or pulled off with the fingers and dipped in sauce first. Expect to get covered with oyster juices, bits of sand and mud. The paper towels will help. Keep the hose handy to rinse off hands when done eating.


opening and eating the oysters

After the Roast

After the party is over, if your eating tables are laminated you can simply hose them down to clean.

If you're interested in recycling the shells but don't know where to take them, check around with local environmental conservation groups, or schools with marine science programs.


basket of shells to be recycled