Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published September 22, 2008 Oysters Are Back Starting Today; Crabmeat In Short Supply Where'd the Crabmeat and Oysters Go? As of this morning, the first Louisiana oyster beds to open for harvesting and sale since Hurricane Gustav were cleared by the Department of Health and Hospitals. Until now, no local oysters were available, and neither restaurants nor wholesalers had any oysters other than those packed before the storms. So raw and grilled oysters should begin appearing again within the next few days. The crabmeat situation is not so good. If you find crabmeat around New Orleans right now, you're either very lucky or you're being fed Asian product. That includes hard-shell, soft-shell, claws, or jumbo lump. Even restaurants willing to pay top dollar are having a hard time getting it. This shortage is different from the one that followed Katrina. Then, there were crab- and oyster-producing areas along the coast that were little affected either by Katrina or Rita, which came a couple of weeks later. Not this time. Gustav ran right along the coastline, and did damage to everything from Mobile into Texas. And although the eye of Ike went in at Galveston, it shut the same area that beat up in Gustav all over again. Ike was so large, and came in at such a disadvantageous angle, that all the Louisiana wetlands were affected. On the other hand, white shrimp--whose season is in progress now--are being fished heavily right now. The result is spectacularly good shrimp in all sizes, at terrific prices. White shrimp are the best we have, and they don't get much better than this. © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com