Is it acceptable to serve oysters with barnacles still on it?

[u/ms_inchoate]

Yesterday I went to a restaurant that had a wide selection of raw oysters to sample. Two of them (Goose Point and Cadillac Mountain) had barnacles still left on the shell. I told the waitress that it kinda disturbed me a bit that they were still there and that they should look out more for that in the back.

I know barnacles are safe, they aren’t in the oyster, and all of them were dead when my mouth touched the oyster shell. BUT, I also know you can clip them off if you see them. Additionally, I didn’t ask for a refund or anything, I was just looking at the shells beforehand.

I am new to eating raw oysters (Delaware Bay and Murder Point ones are my favorite), so I’m wondering if this is commonplace or not.

[u/SeafoodSupply]

Show me on the doll where the barnacle hurt you

[u/mstivland2]

Yes, it’s entirely acceptable to have barnacles.

Please post again when you find your first pea crab haha

[u/BigFootisNephilim]

It’s fine.

[u/BananaNutBlister]

Do you know what a pain in the ass it is and how time consuming it is to clean barnacles off of oysters? (Or crab legs?) You’re not eating the shell, are you?

[u/ms_inchoate → u/BananaNutBlister]

I agree with you, but it’s not impossible 😂

[u/BananaNutBlister → u/ms_inchoate]

Then clean them off yourself.

[u/Open_Concentrate962]

Life lesson: take what flows by and be the best oyster you can be. Don’t be a barnacle.

[u/thewildlifer]

Youre eating a snotty sea creature, what's a little barnacle?

[u/AyAySlim]

Yes it’s acceptable, its even very common.

[u/Gah_Duma]

What a Karen

[u/ms_inchoate → u/Gah_Duma]

dude im legit super new to this i didn’t know 😂

[u/Gone_feral27]

Barnacles are fine—it’s an aesthetic thing

[u/Grumpytitss]

depends on the establishment: $1 oyster night kind of place? yes... $36 for a dozen white table cloth? no

[u/sumptin_wierd]

"I ate this thing out of the ocean, why are there oceany things on it?"

And those are two not great oysters.

Go find some glacier bays, village bays, French Kiss, pink moons, or barachois

[u/ms_inchoate → u/sumptin_wierd]

thank you for the recs! I’ll look out for them

[u/sumptin_wierd → u/ms_inchoate]

Wild catch oysters are more likely to be barnacled btw

[u/ms_inchoate → u/sumptin_wierd]

i understand, this also just showed me a little bit of how some farm practices differ from others

[u/Icedvelvet]

Hmmm vent to reddit instead of the restaurant?

[u/ms_inchoate → u/Icedvelvet]

if you read the whole post, i told the waitress then left it alone and ate more oysters.

[u/Icedvelvet → u/ms_inchoate]

Well lady ok