Oysters?

[foodcruiser]

I see oysters are available in the Steakhouse, but how about the MDR or elsewhere? We will be on the Spirit the end of November.

[ShakyBeef]

I believe The Seafood Shack has Oysters:

 

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/seafood-shack

 

And Carnival Spirit has a Seafood Shack.  So, i think you're in luck (for limited hours each day).

[ShakyBeef]

Seafood Shack Menu:

 

https://www.carnival.com/-/media/images/explore/dining/menus/seafood-shack-menu.pdf

 

They do indeed have oysters.

[firefly333]

42 minutes ago, foodcruiser said:

I see oysters are available in the Steakhouse, but how about the MDR or elsewhere? We will be on the Spirit the end of November.

I hated the smoked oysters in the steakhouse. I thought they were awful. They come in a dome full of smoke. Dont know what that taste is but I wanted a regular oyster, not those pink fizzy things. Rhe pink fizz was off putting.

 

 

[IntrepidFromDC]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

I hated the smoked oysters in the steakhouse. I thought they were awful. They come in a dome full of smoke. Dont know what that taste is but I wanted a regular oyster, not those pink fizzy things. The pink fizz was off putting.

 

Foam has a long history in the kitchen with world-class chefs and made a trendy comeback ~8-10 years ago.  It's a way to infuse other flavors without changing the food itself, similar to sauce but different texture on the palate.  I never met a foamy food I didn't like until the foamy smoky oysters in the steakhouse.  They're actually the only thing I can say I was disappointed in there.  I wouldn't expect much from seafood shack either, I had lobster rolls on my recent cruise and they were poor quality and quantity lobster meat, with a too-bready roll.  I looked at the oysters, they were small but not tiny, and I think they were $2 each.

Edited November 2, 2022 by IntrepidFromDC

[bury me at sea]

Prior to the pay for Seafood Shack option there was a free at lunch seafood station that had really good fried oysters.  Long gone.

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, ShakyBeef said:

I believe The Seafood Shack has Oysters:

 

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/seafood-shack

 

And Carnival Spirit has a Seafood Shack.  So, i think you're in luck (for limited hours each day).

 

1 hour ago, ShakyBeef said:

Seafood Shack Menu:

 

https://www.carnival.com/-/media/images/explore/dining/menus/seafood-shack-menu.pdf

 

They do indeed have oysters.

It's on the menu board but what they have on hand varies week to week/sailing to sailing.  I like raw oysters, and I've definitely been on cruises where there were no raw oysters to be had at the Seafood Shack.

[topaz123]

16 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

Prior to the pay for Seafood Shack option there was a free at lunch seafood station that had really good fried oysters.  Long gone.

Remember this place well....had tuna tartar, and made bouillabaisse from scratch. fish n chips and more...amazing !!!

[john91498]

24 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

Prior to the pay for Seafood Shack option there was a free at lunch seafood station that had really good fried oysters.  Long gone.

 

Sadly, long gone...

[ShakyBeef]

42 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

Prior to the pay for Seafood Shack option there was a free at lunch seafood station that had really good fried oysters.  Long gone.

The only ship I experienced this seafood place was Glory in 2011.  It was good!  DH loved the boulabaise.  Pride (our usual Baltimore ship) never had it.

[DallasGuy75219]

29 minutes ago, topaz123 said:

Remember this place well....had tuna tartar, and made bouillabaisse from scratch. fish n chips and more...amazing !!!

 

23 minutes ago, john91498 said:

 

Sadly, long gone...

Loved the seared tuna and watermelon.  Replaced by BBQ so they could start selling seafood a la carte.

[ShakyBeef]

29 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

 

It's on the menu board but what they have on hand varies week to week/sailing to sailing.  I like raw oysters, and I've definitely been on cruises where there were no raw oysters to be had at the Seafood Shack.

 

I mentioned it because oysters actually exist on the menu at this venue on this ship.  However, being from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, from where some of the best oysters in the world come (admittedly, some of our "local" oysters are from a few minutes away in Virginia), I'm too spoiled to partake of raw oysters onboard a cruise ship.  Same reason I don't bother with the "crabcake" they serve in the MDR.😉

[Theosprey247]

The fried oysters from the seafood shack are very good. 

[firefly333]

I would buy the lobster roll again from seafood shack. I had that for dinner twice. $12 or $13. Lol probably went up now like everything else. 

 

Foaming oysters ... I'm still a no. I dont care if its trendy. 

[IntrepidFromDC]

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I would buy the lobster roll again from seafood shack. I had that for dinner twice. $12 or $13. Lol probably went up now like everything else. 

 

Foaming oysters ... I'm still a no. I dont care if its trendy. 

Lobster roll was $15 on the Pride in September.  Probably $20 by now.

[overeasy]

Fried oysters were on the Spirit buffet one night, May 2022. They were very good which is why I remember them.

[foodcruiser]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I will check out the Seafood Shack.

[grantbob]

They also usually have fried oysters as an appetizer one  night in the MDR. With the breading and the sauce they could basically be fried anything but they are pretty good, just not a lot of oyster flavor.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

21 hours ago, bury me at sea said:

Prior to the pay for Seafood Shack option there was a free at lunch seafood station that had really good fried oysters.  Long gone.

 

Yes - the fish-n-chips place upstairs/Lido on the Conquest class ships. I enjoyed that too, much more than the "BBQ" place that replaced it!

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

This is where a small debate will ensue regarding raw oyster eating styles..

 

I probably didn't eat my first oyster until I was nearly 30. That was in the Florida panhandle (Tallahassee). "Around those parts", we ate them on crackers with cocktail sauce... the more horseradish, the better!

 

Well, I found that on Carnival (Seafood Shack) they'll look at you like you've got two heads if you ask for crackers and the cocktail sauce is ultra bland. Fast forward to our trip back on the Liberty a few weeks later, and we came armed with our own crackers and horseradish from home to jazz things up. Unfortunately the oysters, while large, were not as fresh as I'm accustomed to and, with seafood, freshness is everything. I probably won't try them again.

 

Fried next time for sure!

 

Tom

[ProgRockCruiser]

On 11/2/2022 at 6:26 PM, DallasGuy75219 said:

It's on the menu board but what they have on hand varies week to week/sailing to sailing.  I like raw oysters, and I've definitely been on cruises where there were no raw oysters to be had at the Seafood Shack.

Indeed, just like a land restaurant, the oysters available on any given day will vary.  We also try to stick to the "rule" of not eating oysters in months that do not contain an "R" (i.e. May through August), since there is (an alleged) increase in possible toxins, but also because summer oysters just don't taste as good when I have had some.  (I wonder if Carnival gets them shipped in from the southern hemisphere during that time frame, where they'd be perfect May through August because it is their autumn/winter...)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

3 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

... (I wonder if Carnival gets them shipped in from the southern hemisphere during that time frame, where they'd be perfect May through August because it is their autumn/winter...)

 

... ahem....  my guess is a big NO on that !   😄 

 

Tom

[BTromboneFrack]

I've had the pink foamy oysters at the steakhouse several times and have always enjoyed them.   The MDR has had fried oysters as an appetizer on one evening on all of our cruises.  I've always ordered two servings because they were excellent.