Feel that slight drop in ambient temperature, that proverbial “nip in the air?” Can that be going anyplace good? Mostly, no; the lush days of summer are about to take a vacation for a few seasons. However, every year I bolster my spirits with one smile-inducing summer-ending thought: “the weather’s getting cooler…and the oysters are about to get better!”
I am an oyster fanatic. And I love nothing so much as the crisper, saltier oyster that comes with cold weather. Seems I have a lot of company!
To usher in the turn of the tide, a bunch of oyster fanatics (whom I just met this summer) are laying on New York Oyster Week, a grand celebration of “ersters,” staged all over the New York metropolitan area between September 11 and September 27.
I am so proud to announce that these boys dug my oyster vibe when we met…and I have a significant role in this year’s festivities! First of all, I’ll be the title wine sponsor of many events, providing my just-imported Muscadet, Chablis, and more to sip with the slurps. I’ll also be attending a number of their events (you can check www.oysterweek.com for the calendar)—most notably the OyStars Dinner at the James Beard House on Sept. 23. That night, Oregon chef Ken Norris and I will be fixin’ a grand oyster and shellfish meal at the historic Beard house—which will be a kind of East-West oyster duel! A shuck-off! Diners will be asked to note their favorite bi-valves: from the Left Coast, or from the Right Coast? I, of course, will be leading the Forces of Right.
As a kind of warm-up for that glorious occasion, I wanted to provide you today with the taxonomic basis of this mighty contest…
There are five species of oysters in production in the U.S. of A. Three of them are chiefly harvested on the west coast, one of them on the east coast, and a wild card that can come from anywhere.
1) The east coast oyster, with which I grew up, is called crassostrea virginica. The species is indigenous to the entire Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., as well as the Gulf of Mexico. So all those famous East Coast oysters—Bluepoints, Wellfleets, Chincoteagues, Cape Cods, Gulf oysters—are of this species. This oyster is a good, basic one. It’s not loaded with any particularly distinct flavor, but it is reliably the most briny oyster in North America—particularly when it comes in colder weather from the more northern production areas, such as Prince Edward Island, and Malpeque. This type of oyster marries magnificently with taut, nervy, acidic wine.
2) The leading oyster of the west coast is crassostrea gigas—also known as the Pacific oyster, or the Japanese oyster. It is cultivated from Alaska down through southern California—with a zillion names for specific coves and inlets of production, such as Hama Hama, Quilcene, Totten Inlet, etc. The amazing thing about this oyster is that…it’s the exact same species that dominates oyster cultivation on the west coast of France! So those killer fines de claires from Brittany you had in Paris last winter? They were Pacific oysters, grown in French oyster beds. Our Pacific oysters have the same underlying flavor: something like cucumber, or watermelon rind! The major difference—and why I think the east coast oysters have a shot against them at The Beard House—is that our west coast oysters are usually a little fatter, a little creamier than the French versions of the same species. I like an oyster that is so briny you feel like you’ve been bounced in a wave and sea water has gone up your nose. No kidding. I love it. But it doesn’t happen too much with crassostea gigas from our west coast. Dry, acidic Riesling—which has a little more fruit than most Muscadet or Chablis—is my wine of choice for the western ersters.
3) Crassostrea sikamea, or the Kumamoto, grown in Washington State and California, used to be considered a member of the crassostrea gigas species. But the taxonomists changed their tune about 25 years ago; it is now considered to be its own species. It is very west coast: charged with the cucumber-watermelon flavor, and even fatter, typically, than other west coast oysters. I will devour them on the west coast but, in the east (after the long cross-country ride), they often seem too creamy.
4) Ostrea lurida, or the Olympia oyster, is tiny, about the size of your thumbnail—and it is actually my favorite west coast oyster. And so it was for James Beard, who was from Oregon! The Olympia is also the only oyster species that’s indigenous to the west coast of America. Once upon a frontier time, it was vastly popular—but you don’t see it often today, certainly not in parts of the country other than the Pacific Northwest. I like its user-friendly size, and its complex, sweet-earthy-briny-metallic taste.
5) Ostrea edulis. If you want metallic, even coppery, you must come to this historic oyster, which is usually referred as the “Belon,” after the river in Brittany from whence it came. In recent decades, artisanal producers on both our east coast and west coast have started to cultivate Belon seed, with varying degrees of success—and that is why I call it the “wild card” of American oysters. It is a different beast. They are usually large and round, and pretty flat—which is why our producers usually call them “European flats.” They can be almost chewy, like a clam, and they carry one of the most penetrating tastes in all of oysterdom—this copper thang, which leaves an almost tactile impression on your palate. For some oyster-slurpers, they are OTT; for me, it all depends on the producer, the season, and how the hell I’m feeling that day. Do note, however, that slurping a Belon is slurping history: these were the oysters that made up the great oyster beds of Europe, going back to the Roman Empire!
It’s easy to become an oyster aficionado—you’re already there! There are hundreds of grape varieties to master if you want to become a wine expert. Olives for the olive oil expert? Same thing. And chocolate beans for chocolate are endless (see the upcoming ROSENGARTEN REPORT for more on this!) But oysters? I challenge you to find a sixth species in the U.S. It doesn’t exist! The only challenge you have is…picking your favorite!
