Return to Mike Sula's cover story, "The Oyster Whisperer"

THERE ARE LITERALLY hundreds of different varieties of oysters available to consume raw, from all over the Globe. All of the ones we serve in our restaurants fall into five different species, and come only from certified waters and growers. We never purchase oysters which do not come with a certification tag containing an exact location of harvest, as well as a date the oyster was removed from the water. We never purchase oysters from warmer waters which reach dangerous temperatures (where harmful bacteria can form), and all of our oysters are inspected for quality several times daily. There are many different qualities raw oysters have, and it is especially interesting to note subtle nuances when sampling different species, especially from different regions of the Planet.

I actually take the procurement to higher level than a lot of Chefs and check the water temperatures myself- before I decide whom to make the purchase from. I use a NOAA website with a GPS coordinate and depth- it’s usually accurate to ±.2-.5° F. I’ve also been getting into www.googleearth.com and finding it extremely helpful, especially on the East Coast farms I purchase from. All of the oysters I decide to purchase come from waters colder than 54°F, at the very warmest. I actually prefer to buy oysters from somewhere they need to cut holes in the ice. The Federal Government says that oysters from waters colder than 68.5° are fit for raw consumption, but I don’t necessarily agree with that. Whenever you hear a story about someone getting sick from an oyster, it’s always a warmer water oyster, usually from the Gulf, where water temperatures very regularly exceed 70°. Gulf oysters are an interesting anomaly of the Shellfish industry in the United States, but should never be consumed raw.¹ An oyster from the Gulf can grow to market size in under one and a half years- it takes an oyster from Nova Scotia over eight years. The colder the water, the higher the salinity will be, and the oyster grows a lot slower. The slower the oyster grows, the more expensive it is to farm. Warm water oysters are always less-expensive, but I don’t recommend consuming them, even cooked. Harmful bacteria specifically Vibrio Vulnificus will proliferate at a temperature of 62-65° and above- depending on the immune system of the individual, that can be very bad. As a general rule, raw oysters should not be consumed if the person is extremely young, extremely old or has ever had issues with their immune system- someone who has had Hepatitis or has experienced liver problems should stay away from raw oysters, just to be safe. In addition, pregnant women should not consume raw shellfish at any point during pregnancy or while they’re nursing.

Here is a list of different characteristics we use when comparing and describing oysters:

1. Location / body of water
2. Season
3. Salinity level
4. Species
5. Method of harvest
6. Texture
7. Flavor / finish

Please note that I did not include size as a descriptive point. When a Server explains oysters to a Guest, there are several things the Guest needs to immediately be aware of: Which oyster is largest, which oyster is smallest, which oyster is saltiest and which oyster is sweetest. Typically, if you know what types of oyster someone is looking for, you can sell them without seeing a menu. With an oyster menu as extensive as ours, it can be a little daunting- About five years ago, I started putting little signs in the oysters displayed on the Raw Bar to make it easier- not only for the Guest, but also for the Servers selling the product. You can rest assured that a Filet Mignon weighing in at half a pound will be the same steak day in and day out, but oysters do tend to vary somewhat, depending on the season, supply and demand. For reasons unknown to me, oysters are graded in size differently depending on which side of the Country you’re from. Sort of like VHS vs. Beta, or PC vs. Mac… West Coast sizing starts at Extra-Small and goes all the way up to Large. The largest oyster to serve on the half shell (raw) would be a small. Makes very little sense, sort of like Tall vs. Venti? Anything bigger than that is sent to the shucking facility for fried oysters. East Coast oysters are sized by Premium, Standard and Large. As if all this isn’t confusing enough…

Location is usually a given. It is written on the menu, usually with a specific area noted, such as an island, river, pond, sound or channel. Occasionally, I may have A GPS coordinate or even a Nautical Grid as a reference. This is especially useful if someone has had a certain type of oyster that they really liked, and it’s not on the menu. In most cases, if we have one from the same area, it will be very similar. For example, if someone asked for a Savage Harbour oyster from Prince Edward Island, and we didn’t have them at that particular time, if we had a Raspberry Point oyster, grown literally several miles away and by one of the same Farmers, they would be probably just as happy with those oysters instead. Oysters take on the characteristics of the water they are grown in.²

Season is useful to know, especially when people ask why we have oysters from areas other than local (obviously, we aren’t pulling oysters out of the Great Lakes here in the Midwest). Oysters are best when taken from colder waters. During the summer months in Seattle, for example, many of the oysters we normally receive from the Puget Sound will be unavailable, and we look to the cooler waters of the Southern Hemispheres, such as New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and Chile. Many locations have temperatures which will produce oysters year-round, such as Alaska, Nova Scotia and Vancouver, but we like to source as many areas as possible to provide the highest quality as well as the best Global variety.

Salinity level is important, especially for someone who is an oyster “novice.” Generally speaking, people who haven’t eaten a lot of oysters will like a saltier oyster, which will have a milder oyster flavor, dulled by the higher salt content. Generally speaking, East Coast oysters are usually a little higher in salinity, simply because of the ocean’s higher salinity content in the Atlantic vs. the Pacific. All oysters are salty- the ones with the least amount of salt in the water may taste a little on the sweet side. If you were to take a West Coast oyster out of it’s shell and give it a quick rinse, depending on the location, there would be very little salt in its finish.

Species will determine different things. The Olympia oyster from the Totten Inlet in Washington State is the only one of its species. Knowing this, you can inform the guest that it is the smallest oyster available, and has a sweet, metallic flavor, as well as being a meaty oyster for its size. This would be an excellent beginner’s oyster. The Belon oyster is a species of its own as well, and even though they can be grown in different regions in the world, all Belon oysters are flat, meaty, have a very strong flavor, and not recommended for people who don’t have a lot of experience eating oysters. They are not as briny as other oysters, and have a coppery finish to them, no matter where they come from.

Method of harvest won’t really determine a lot about the oyster itself in terms of flavor or finish, but there are a few things which can be determined. For example, if an oyster is farmed on the West Coast, and we know that it happens to be beach-finished, we know that the shell will be tougher, and less brittle. Brittle oysters tend to be smaller for the size which is not always desirable. We know that if it’s beach-finished, it will tend to have a bleached look, and might be covered on the outside with barnacles. Oysters harvested like this have a more crunchy texture due to the fact that the abductor muscle holding the shells shut is clamped more often than when it is not finished on the beach. Shuckers find them easier to open because the barnacles give the oyster a nice uneven shell with an easier to grip surface.

Texture is important, especially if the person eating it is a bit “squeamish” about eating an oyster. A plump, meaty oyster would not be a good choice in this case, but rather a thin, wispy one without a lot of bite or texture to it would be preferred. Generally speaking, if you’re someone who has never eaten an oyster before and enjoyed it (like Andy, for example), would prefer a smaller oyster with a little less body than something you’d need a fork and knife to eat. Oyster textures can range from thin and translucent up to a very meaty and firm oyster. If someone is from the East Coast and is used to putting shucked oysters on a Saltine with Tabasco, an oyster lighter in texture would not be recommended.

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Jim Newberry

The Flavors and Finishes of an oyster is what really makes them stand apart. Flavor is what hits you right away, and the finish is what lingers later on. Not all oysters will have a strong finish, and some are very mild in flavor. Flavors range from sweet, buttery, lettuce and melon. Finishes can range from vegetable or seaweed to cucumber. This is where pairing with wines can really come in. All you need to know in the beginning is that the possibilities are endless, and that different people will taste different things in an oyster, just like a glass of wine. Sometimes, at oyster seminars, I describe a really mild Finish of an oyster as something that you get ten minutes later when you accidentally burp.

Here are some typical examples of oysters we serve at Fulton’s on the River over the course of the year.

1. Don’t just take my word for it… Every year, someone in the Gulf of Mexico gets really sick from consuming oysters raw. The FDA actually insists on having disclaimers on menus serving warm-water oysters that contain the word “DEATH.” Go here for more information: http://www.dmagazine.com/pressreleases/nancystory.pdf

2. If you were to take two genetically identical eggs from a reproducing oyster and put them in different areas of water, the results will be drastically different. In many cases, the resulting oysters wouldn’t be remotely close. We’ve had the “South Sound Virginicus” oyster on the menu for about a month now- it’s an East Coast oyster grown in the Pacific Northwest. If you compare it to one grown on the East Coast, it’s close in some aspects, but different in many, many more. The Body of Water is the key- West Coast water has a different temperature, salinity and types of algae present the oysters filter for nourishment. It’s the same as a wild king salmon vs. a farmed one- they may look similar, but both have a completely different flavor and texture.

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