Every year, thousands and thousands of tourists, from all sorts of destinations, visit our area with two things on their mind. One being a chance to sit out all day on our beautiful beaches. Two being to enjoy fresh seafood… specifically the Gulf oysters. There are plenty of restaurants in our area serving great oysters, but as an oyster loving local, it can get expensive to eat these delicacies out on a regular basis. This month’s Dinner’s Ready recipe is shared with us by Daniel Jones, a Gulf Shores resident, who loves to eat oysters at home. “My Pawpaw would just sit and eat sackfuls of them,” said Daniel. “I guess the love of these fresh, salty Gulf oysters just runs in our family!” When shopping to prepare the perfect oysters at home, Daniel shares you want to support local because they are usually fair priced and they won’t sell oysters that aren’t good. Overall their standards are higher. Oysters, unlike most other foods, will also need special tools for preparation. He recommends investing in an oyster shucking knife, shucking gloves and an aluminum seafood tray. All of these can easily be found on Amazon for an affordable price. “The fresh from the Gulf oyster is my favorite,” Daniel said. “It really doesn’t need anything but a little salt and hot Eastern Shore Parents I June 2022
sauce. In fact, the best oyster I have ever eaten was found one day when I was out fishing. It was taken straight from the Gulf with nothing on it at all.” His wife Gabriele is from the Midwest and oysters were off the table for most of their 16 year marriage. “Finally after about a decade of being married, I was able to get Gabby to try baked oysters and now she enjoys them,” shared Daniel. “I still can’t get her to eat them raw, but one day I will.” His kids have not yet fallen in love with oysters, but he has no doubt they will carry on the legacy of love for these family favorites in the years to come. Daniel and Gabby have three children, Nate (15), Luke (8) and Briar Psalm (10 months), so the odds are certainly in his favor! Daniel loves to fix the baked oyster options on Alabama football game days! They are such a great, lighter appetizer option and are a nice change up from the popular chicken wing and burger options. However, you can find him eating oysters raw about once a week at his kitchen sink. Daniel wanted to be sure he provided both a chilled and baked option for families with diverse pallets. So this month, we hope you enjoy not one, but two oyster recipes!
Daniel’s Dozen Raw Oysters Fill your aluminum tray with ice and serve fresh shucked oysters (in the shell) directly on top of the ice. Serve with hot 38
sauce, salt and maybe lemon wedges. Personally speaking, crackers and any other fixings can take away from the oysters.
Daniel’s Baked Oysters
Ingredients Tony’s Cajun Seasoning Drago’s Butter Garlic Sauce (found at Rouses) Shredded Cheddar Cheese Chives Crispy Bacon Crumbles Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Shuck oysters, leaving them in the shell and place on a baking sheet. Add Cajun seasoning, butter garlic sauce, cheddar cheese, chives and bacon to taste. Bake for 15 minutes and then serve.
Gabriele has been married to her husband Daniel for 16 years. Together they have three incredible children - two boys, ages 15 and eight, and a sweet girl who joined the family last summer. She is a full time Pink Cadillac Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. When she isn’t spending time with family or building her business, she supports her husband who is the Lead Pastor and Planter of Forward Church in Foley.
www.easternshoreparents.com
