93 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com This time of year, Lowcountry oyster roasts and festivals abound, bringing communities together to enjoy the freshly-harvested gifts of the saltmarsh and riverbeds. To host one at home, serve oysters that are either purchased or scoured from nature. Before heading out at low tide, however, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources recommends obtaining a license and learning the rules. According to SCDNR, those regulations include, “Harvesting only from approved areas, sticking to the limit of two bushels per person per day, ‘culling in place’ and recycling the shells to protect future reefs.” Whether store-bought or harvested by hand, oysters should be scrubbed to clear away any mud or dirt. Next, place a metal tray or foil over a hot fire pit and add a layer of the oysters on the scorching surface. Then cover the oysters with a wet burlap sack. While steaming them for eight to 10 minutes until they open, savor the evocative crackling aesthetic of the fire and the aroma of the oysters roasting in the crisp air. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, hot sauce such as Tabasco and saltine crackers. Indigenous to the area because of the abundance of waterways that traverse the Lowcountry, the tradition of the oyster roast is steeped in a long and fascinating history according to Chris Judge, an archaeologist at the A Steamy Tradition Lowcountry oyster roast history BY SARAH ROSE on the coast
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1