Oysters are good to eat all year long, but are in best condition and most tasty in the winter and early spring. No gutting or grilling is necessary to eat an oyster, the meat can be completely consumed. It is one of the few foods that can be eaten raw. This coast cuisine can be eaten on the half shell, fried, smoked, baked, and broiled and can be found in stew, soup, gumbo, dressing and seafood casseroles and on the menus of most local seafood restaurants. If you have a health condition that could possibly put you at-risk for serious illness or death from Vibrio vulnificus, you should not eat raw oysters.
Place live oysters in boiling water.
Continue boiling for three to five minutes after shells open. Use small pots to boil or steam oysters. Do not cook too many oysters in the same pot, because oysters placed in the middle of the pot may not get fully cooked. If an oyster's shell does not open during cooking, discard the shell. A steamer should be steaming prior to placing oysters in it.