Good Fish_ Sustainable Seafood Recipes From the Pacific Coast - Becky Selengut [20]
Olympia oysters (Ostrea conchaphila or O. lurida), aka Olys, are the tiniest and most celebrated oysters on the Pacific Coast, and also our only native species. Olys were so popular during the gold rush that they were nearly eradicated; back in the mid-1850s, single Olympia oysters went for a silver dollar, the equivalent of about $25 per oyster today. Olympias are a great starter for a raw-oyster newbie—they’re so small, they’re cute, and it’s hard to be intimidated by cute.
Kumamoto oysters (Crassostrea sikamea), aka Kumos, are appreciated by all for their sweetness; their beautiful deep, sculptured shell; and the fact that they are still at their best into the summer, when other oysters diminish in quality due to spawning. They are often described as sweet, creamy, and nutty, and are also a great first oyster for half-shell virgins.
Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), aka Virginicas, Gulf oysters, or American oysters, are truly American, ranging up and down the East Coast, along the Gulf of Mexico, and also here on the Pacific Coast. They tend to be firmer when grown in colder northern climes, which makes for a delicious oyster on the half shell. A Totten Inlet Virginica I had in Washington tasted of the sea, with a finish that lasted forever, like the very best kind of wine.
European flats (Ostrea edulis), aka Belons, were introduced to the Northwest in the 1950s and, not surprisingly, are native to Europe. Like the related Olympia oyster, the parent holds on to the developing larvae within the shell before releasing it into the water after a few weeks. European flats are round in shape with an extremely shallow cup. The shells are quite brittle, and the oysters are very briny.
SEASON: The rule “Only eat oysters in months with an ‘r’ in them” (so, for example, don’t eat oysters in May, June, July, or August) is sort of right, sort of not. I don’t eat oysters when they spawn (reproduce), which is usually during the hotter months. An August oyster might be watery, gritty, and lacking in flavor. Generally speaking, oysters are better in the colder months, but modern refrigeration makes the rule less accurate. A nonspawning oyster harvested in the summer that is well handled can be delicious.
BUYING TIPS : You’ll find live oysters either in saltwater tanks or stored on ice. As with all shellfish, you’ll want to buy them live. You won’t find oysters, unlike clams or mussels, slightly open. Or rather, if you find an oyster slightly open, it’s probably dead. Oysters know how delicious they are—it’s easier to get into Fort Knox than it is to get into a really fresh oyster.
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU PULL OUT YOUR WALLET: Ask to see the harvest tag so you know when the oysters were pulled out of the water. They can have a shelf life of up to two weeks, but when eating them raw, I prefer to get oysters that are as fresh as possible. I feel they taste best when I’m standing knee-deep in the water, shucking the oyster against my thigh and eating it right there. I think the quality and flavor lessens the longer and farther away you are from this idyllic picture.
CARING FOR YOUR GOOD FISH: You’ll commonly find fresh oysters in two forms: in their shell, live (also known as “shell stock”), or already shucked (usually packed in half-pint or pint-size containers; note that the jarred “smalls” are actually more like medium-size oysters in the shell). Store oysters in the shell in a bowl, and drape a damp—not soaking wet—towel over them to keep them from drying out in the refrigerator. If I’m going to eat oysters raw, I buy them the day I want to eat them.