PITTSBURGH >> Most people have pretty strong opinions on the foods they love, and are just as vocal about the ones they hate.

My husband, for instance, cannot stand black licorice while I would never eat an anchovy. (At least we agree on cilantro and blue cheese.)

When it comes to the most polarizing foods, one that heads the list is the bumpy shellfish that’s been around for millennia and was likely first eaten by prehistoric inhabitants of South African coastal regions some 164,000 years ago: oysters.

Known as bivalves because their shells have two parts, oysters are a pretty divisive food. Some diners are either put off by their unique salty flavor or can’t stomach a raw oyster’s gelatinous texture. Oftentimes, it’s both.

“You either like them or are grossed out by them,” says chef Adam Kucenic, who opened Pittsburgh’s Muddy Waters Oyster Bar with his wife, Diane, in 2015. “For some, the texture is just a hard ‘no’ and a gag reflex almost, unfortunately.”

That’s especially true in landlocked cities like Pittsburgh, where there aren’t as many oyster bars as places like Boston, Portland or New York.

“When we tell family or friends to go to an oyster bar, they’re like ‘ugh,’” Kucenic says with a laugh. “But when you go to other cities there’s a huge culture for it, especially if it’s where they’re grown.”

Others are put off by eating something that’s technically still breathing when you slurp it, often with a squeeze of lemon or a sprinkle of mignonette sauce.

“You know, when you eat an oyster, it’s still alive,” Jim Wholey cautions me with a visible grimace when I ask the Pittsburgh fishmonger if he ever partakes.

Both sweet and savory recipes for oysters were mentioned in the 14th century English cookbook “The Forme of Cury,” according to officials in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, which landed over 31.6 million oysters in 2021. By the mid-1600s, the Europeans who colonized the New World enjoyed the protein-rich seafood as a key part of their diet.

In colonial times, oysters harvested from the Chesapeake Bay rarely made it further than they could be transported in a day because their meat spoils very quickly once it’s out of its shell. (Shucked oysters should be eaten as soon as possible after purchase, ideally within four hours.)

After the Civil War, advancements in food preservation and transportation — including better railroads, the introduction of refrigeration and improvements in canning — transformed the oyster industry, making it possible for them to be shipped far beyond the bay area to the Midwest.

Since they were both cheap (half the price of beef in 1909) and abundant, oysters were easy to find at the many oyster bars, cellars and lunchrooms that popped up in every city. During the great “oyster craze” of the late 1800s, they were so popular that the average New Yorker ate an average of 600 oysters per year, compared to less than three today for the average American.

“They were almost like chicken wings back then,” says Kucenic. Pearl Street in New York City, in fact, is thought to have gotten its name from a Lenape shell midden in the area.

It all came crashing down in the 1900s thanks to a combination of overharvesting; pollution; the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, which required more stringent regulations for hygienic handling, packing, and shipping of food items; and some bad press that tied improperly handled oysters to typhoid outbreaks.

Today, thanks to restoration efforts and advanced oyster farming techniques, there are aquaculture farms up and down the East Coast shoreline. Virginia is now the top oyster producer on the East Coast, harvesting roughly 300,000 bushels in 2023.

Mignonette Sauce

1/4 cup finely minced shallots (1 or 2 shallots)

1/3 cup red-wine or white-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black or white peppercorns

Pinch of sea salt

Mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl or jar until well blended. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before using. Mignonette will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.Fried Oysters

PG tested

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and finely ground black pepper

6 shucked, meaty oysters

1 large egg, well beaten

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Vegetable oil or shortening, for frying

For tartar sauce:

1 garlic clove, finely minced

Kosher salt

2 small shallots, minced

1 teaspoon capers, minced

4 cornichons, minced, or 1/3 cup minced dill pickle

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Duke’s)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Dash of hot sauce

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, optional

Sliced lemon, for serving

Directions

Prepare oysters: Season flour with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Dredge each oyster in the flour, dip in the beaten egg, then roll in the panko to evenly coat. Set aside on a baking sheet for a few minutes to dry and set; if not frying right away, place in refrigerator until you’re ready cook.

Make tartar sauce: Mix minced garlic with a pinch of salt until sticky and pasty and place in small bowl. Add shallots, capers, minced pickles and toss to combine.

Stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice and a dash of hot sauce and stir well. Add chopped parsley and season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fry the oysters: Melt enough oil or shortening in a deep medium skillet over medium heat until hot. It will be ready for frying oysters when a few crumbs of panko or the tip of a wooden chopstick sizzles actively in the fat.

Add oysters, working in batches as you have room. Fry until golden brown, 1-2 minutes, depending on size.

Remove with a slotted spoon or spider, and let rest on a clean rack while you fry the rest. Season each batch with a little salt while still piping hot, as soon as you pull them from the fat. Serve with tartar sauce and lemon slices.

Muddy Waters Oyster Bar Char-Grilled Oysters

PG tested

Makes 12 oysters

Cook’s note: Place the oysters as flat as possible on the grates to avoid flareups (if tilted, the melted butter will drip onto the coals) and have a pair of tongs or grill gloves at the ready to remove them when they’re done — the shells will be very hot! I used Blue Point oysters from Whole Foods.

Ingredients

1 dozen fresh oysters, shucked (with the flat side up)

1 stick ( 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce (adjust to taste)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Lemon wedges for serving

French bread for serving

Directions

Heat your grill to medium high.

Shuck the oysters, ensuring they remain in their bottom shell and that none of the liquid spills out.

In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter, minced garlic, parsley, oregano, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and black pepper. Stir well to combine.

Spoon a generous amount of the garlic butter mixture onto each oyster, then top each one with Parmesan cheese.

Place oysters directly on the grill grates (as flat as possible) and grill for 5-7 minutes, or until the butter is bubbling, the cheese is melted and the edges of the oyster start to curl.

Remove the oysters from the grill and drizzle with any leftover butter mixture.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

— Adam Kucenic, Muddy Waters Oyster Bar

Oysters Tomafella

PG tested

Serves 2 as an appetizer

Ingredients

6 oysters on the half shell

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 medium sweet onion, diced

Handful of fresh spinach, chopped

Grated pecorino Romano cheese

2 strips bacon, cut into 1-inch strips

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cover a baking sheet with a 1/4 -inch layer of kosher or rock salt. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place the oysters on the baking sheet.

Melt butter in a saute pan, then add onions and cook until translucent. Add chopped spinach, mix thoroughly and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.

Place a spoonful of the spinach-onion mixture on each oyster. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top of each one and top with a couple strips of bacon,

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the bacon is crispy. Serve straight from the oven.

Distributed by Tribune News Service.