Oysters on the Half Shell - episode 407

Fried clams, fried calamari, fried shrimp, fried catfish...all standard fare in the heartland. If a person only ate seafood in those greasy-spoon roadside diners they might think that fish swim through a vat of batter before getting to the table.

But the closer you get to the coasts, the more fresh seafood you find. And in the Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of Mexico I discovered the freshest oysters. The folks at "13 Mile Oysters" have been harvesting and selling oysters for several generations.

A oysterman named Kendall Schoelless took me out to "tong" some oysters off the bottom of the bay. Kendall makes it look easy, but trust me, it takes some skill to pick them up.

Once we got some on the boat we chipped off the extra shell pieces and cracked open a couple. We even ate some right on the boat!

13 Mile ships their oysters all over the Southeast. But if you are ever near Apalachicola Bay, be sure to look them up.
Kendall piloting his small boat.