Today, many products that were previously considered rare and exotic can be bought at almost any large supermarket. These include the inhabitants of the warm seas of the Mediterranean - oysters. Shellfish are able to give an unforgettable taste experience and enrich the body with many useful substances. How to cook them, eat and choose, as well as the calorie content of oysters and all their benefits will be described in the article.
Product Description
Oysters are bivalve mollusks. They are often confused with mussels, but in fact there is a huge gap between them. Oysters can be eaten raw, but there are no mussels, and the former have an irregularly shaped asymmetric shell, and they can only be caught in the warm waters of certain seas.
The calorie content of 1 oyster depends on the origin of the product and its size. Those individuals that are served raw to the table usually do not exceed a size of 12 cm. Larger mollusks are cooked by heat treatment.
Chemical composition
In terms of nutrition and the amount of various nutrients, mollusks surpass any kind of fish. They are the main source of fatty acid, vitamins and minerals. The calorie content of oysters per 100 grams is approximately 60-80 Kcal, depending on growing conditions, catch time and age. At the same time, proteins occupy more than 50% of the mass of the product, carbohydrates 31%, and fats only 12%, most of which are unsaturated fatty acids.
The product contains vitamins B, A, C, D, calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, phosphorus, iodine, cobalt, chromium and fluorine. All of them make up the full daily intake of nutrients for the human body in one portion.
By the way, it is not difficult to determine the caloric content of 1 pc of oyster. Most often, 100 g of the product contains just one serving served in the restaurant - it necessarily has 6 shells with clams.
Seafood benefits
Vitamins in oysters have a beneficial effect on vision, accelerate wound healing, normalize metabolism, the functioning of the kidneys, nervous and cardiovascular systems. The product also strengthens the protective functions of the body, the endocrine system, has an antioxidant effect, helps accelerate the treatment of skin diseases and cleanses the body of cholesterol.
Calcium and vitamin D strengthen bone tissue and increase testosterone production. Zinc stimulates reproductive function, improves the condition of hair, skin and nails, helps to increase muscle mass and strengthens the immune system. Iodine normalizes the thyroid gland and enriches tissues with oxygen.
Other mineral substances in the composition contribute to the absorption of iron, increase the activity of white blood cells, and prevent the development of diabetes and cancer.
Regular consumption of shellfish improves overall well-being, performance and endurance, eliminates irritability. Low calorie oysters, combined with their benefits, helps girls get rid of cellulite and lose extra pounds.
Clam treatment
In medicine, many useful properties of the product composition have long been used by specialists as additional means in the treatment of various diseases. So, in the presence of cancerous tumors, oyster meat helps to stop the growth of malicious cells. A high zinc concentration is considered an excellent prophylaxis of anemia.
After eating mollusks, a person calms down, his sleep normalizes, the work of internal organs becomes full, and vision improves. A large number of amino acids in the composition of oysters is useful not only for men's health, but also for women. Their use facilitates menopause and increases libido.
If you are allergic to seafood, diseases of the intestines, stomach, spleen, during pregnancy and when feeding a baby, it is not recommended to eat shellfish.
Use in cosmetology
The low calorie content of oysters and all their beneficial properties help to improve the appearance of each person, even with the usual consumption of the product in food. In addition, experts use mollusk shell powder in thalassotherapy, and body proteins in various anti-aging serums and masks.
Product harm
Serious allergic reactions of any kind can cause oysters in people with increased sensitivity to seafood. In addition, before eating, make sure the product is fresh. Oysters must be still alive. An ajar shell indicates that the mollusk is stale, and there is a high risk of food poisoning. Also, it must be whole. In the presence of even small chips, there is a likelihood of sharp solid particles entering the digestive tract and damage to its mucous membranes.
It is undesirable to use the product in the summer. As a rule, catch in this period is generally prohibited, as the reproduction begins in mollusks. Caught oysters at this time will be fatter, and their taste will be noticeably reduced.
Terms of use
The maximum benefit to the body is brought only by fresh mollusks. The cooked product loses part of its nutrients and changes its calorie content. Oysters in expensive restaurants are served on an ice pillow in open or still closed form. The portion is 6 pieces, and depending on the number of guests, one dish can contain up to 24 sinks.
Before use, the clam meat should be sprinkled with lemon juice or a special acidic sauce. His body must necessarily be wrinkled, which indicates the freshness of the product.
You can eat oysters using a special fork or just from the sink.
How to open the sink
If the restaurant serves still closed clams or you need to open them at home, you will need to cook a special oyster knife. The device has a short sharpened blade on both sides and a handle with hand protection. You can use a regular knife. From how many calories in oysters or what their size is, the technology of opening does not change.
First, wash the sink from the remains of sand and algae, then wrap it in a towel and leave only the gap between the wings open. The flat sash should be on top. The oyster in this position should be laid on the table and pressed tightly. The knife edge is inserted between the leaves and slightly rotated until a characteristic click.
After that, with a blade, you need to open the entire shell and cut through the muscle that holds the lid without hurting the oyster body. The knife for this is pressed from the inside to the upper leaf. After that, the lid is carefully removed, the lower muscle is trimmed - and the product is ready for use. Frozen oysters are first boiled directly in the sink for a minute, and then open and eat.
Sauces
The calorie content of oysters per 100 grams does not differ at all from the calorie content of a cooked product when consumed raw with sauce. The classic version is prepared as follows:
- finely chopped a glass of shallots or red;
- the crushed product is poured with 100 ml of wine vinegar;
- to the mixture add 2 tbsp. l sherry vinegar, a little white pepper and sugar.
Before use, the product must be insisted in a cool place for 60-90 minutes.
The second version of the addition to seafood consists of:
- 100 ml lime juice;
- 100 ml of wine vinegar;
- 2 tsp soy sauce;
- 50 ml of white wine.
Mixed products are infused for 30-40 minutes and optionally can be supplemented with various seasonings and spices.
Cooking Tips
Today, about 50 species of oysters are known, and not all of them are edible.
To protect their body from infection by various bacteria, many prefer to eat shellfish only after heat treatment. In this case, oyster calories can increase with the addition of additional products or remain the same if the clams are boiled in their own liquid.
To prepare the sink, you can not open it and throw it in boiling water for 60 seconds, or remove the shellfish bodies from them and cook in oyster liquid with the addition of lemon juice (also just a minute).
You can cook the product in the microwave. To do this, their meat is left on the bottom sink, sprinkled with sauce and cooked at an average power of 5 minutes. In a double boiler, oysters are brought to the desired state for 7-10 minutes, and in a slow cooker - only two.
Oysters can also be cooked in a pan by placing the bodies of the mollusks in a liquid. Keep them on fire until the sauce is almost completely evaporated.
You can cook clams with vegetables in the oven, but this will increase the calorie content of one piece. Oysters for this should already be without shells. How to extract them is described above. For one onion, 2 bell peppers and 0.5 celery root, you will need a glass of shellfish. Vegetables are pre-fried in butter for a couple of minutes, after which they add a little garlic, spices to taste and half a glass of water. When the liquid boils, parsley is added, and the dish is stewed for 5-7 minutes. After that, oysters, grated cheese and chopped loaf are added to the pan. Everything is baked exactly an hour before the formation of a crust at a temperature of 150 degrees.
Storage
At a temperature of 1-4 degrees, the mollusks in the shell can be stored for up to a week. After their death, the product cannot be eaten, it should only be disposed of. Frozen mollusks (without shells) can be stored for up to four months, the product in an open jar - 2 days. To preserve the juiciness of the sinks in the refrigerator, they are covered with a wet towel, covered with ice and only have a flat lid up. The finished dish with oysters remains usable for three days.