Here come the Natives
What do you think of when you see oysters? Do you shudder or recoil? Or do you lean it, grab a shell and enjoy?
My favourite oyster memory comes from The Acme Oyster House in New Orleans, where we demolished platters of chargrilled oysters cooked in bubbling garlic cheese sauce. To this day, I don’t think I’ve seen any faster oyster shuckers than those guys at Acme who flung platter after platter to the sweating grill cook. In fact, our whole road trip from Florida’s panhandle westwards along the coast to Lake Pontchartrain and the Big Easy was an oyster fest, with what felt like every bar and restaurant selling chargrilled oysters.
Here in Dublin, I remember when Niall Sabongi opened his seafood shack Klaw in Temple Bar. Armed with a huge blowtorch and a slightly maniacal gleam in his eye, oysters were torched right in front of you, a tradition that continues now in his Seafood Café.
Despite my grá for these salty beauties, I’ve only recently become more informed on the intricacies and social history of oysters. It’s fascinating stuff, tied in deeply with our history and relationship with our next door neighbour. And with September just around the corner, you’re going to hear about the native oyster season. Here’s my guide to understanding why it matters.
Native versus rock oysters
In Ireland, and Northern Europe, two types of oyster prevail, namely our original native oyster (Ostrea edulis) and the Johnny-come-lately Pacific rock oyster (Magallana gigas). For the sake of completeness, the Portuguese rock oyster (Crassostrea angulata) also exists but it is not grown commercially.
For many years, the native oyster was dominant and widely cultivated all around Ireland, becoming the original Irish street food, and heavily exported to the ever-growing English market. Our temperate waters and intrinsic marine geography meant that Ireland was a perfect location for the cultivation of oysters. The British government at the time recognised this also, going so far as to establish official fishery oversight to protect Irish oysters.
Eventually the heavy overfishing of the native oyster resulted in the near obliteration of the native oyster industry and the eventual introduction of the rock oyster to our waters in order to boost supplies. Irish oyster growers vary in their approach with some only cultivating rock oysters and others growing both.
How can I tell the difference?
The native oyster is generally shallow, with a flat disc-like appearance. The meat tends to a beige colour and aficionados claim to prefer its nutty, mineral flavour.
In contrast, the rock oyster is what most of us now assume an oyster looks like. The shell is more oblong in nature, and convex with a pronounced cup, in which the oyster dwells.
Why does there have to be an ‘r’ in the month in order to eat oysters?
The native is not available in the months from May to August because they get they their sexy-time on and spawn during this period. As a result of the effort involved in spawning, the colour of the flesh changes from opaque to nearly translucent, becoming less pleasant to eat. Hence the famous maxim about only eating oysters in months containing the letter ‘r’.
In contrast, the rock oyster rarely spawns naturally due to the lower temperatures of our waters and thus is generally available all year round, and grows quicker than the native. Whereas the native prefers shallower water, the rock oyster tends to prefer deeper waters.
What’s the best way to eat oysters?
In my mind, there’s no bad way to eat an oyster. Freshly shucked and served raw in the shell, they can be livened up with a squeeze of lemon, classic mignonette or Tabasco. They also take amazing well to Asian flavours such as nahm jim or bonito. Pair with classic Guinness, a glass of champagne or a fresh mineral white wine such as Chablis and life will look pretty damn good.
If raw oysters aren’t your thing, then look out for cooked options such as tempura oysters, beef and oyster stew or oysters Rockefeller made with spinach and Hollandaise sauce (Shanahan’s do a great version).
Who produces oysters in Ireland?
Irish oysters are regarded as some of the best in the world, with Louët-Feisser oysters from the Carlingford Oyster Company claiming the Golden Fork award for Ireland in the Great Taste Awards 2021. This list of oyster producers is not guaranteed complete, so please let me know of any producers I’ve omitted.
Achill Oysters, Co Clare
Carlingford Oyster Company, Co Louth
Cooley Oysters, Co Louth
Croagh Patrick Seafoods, Co Mayo
Cromane Bay Shellfish, Co Kerry
DK Connemara Oysters, Co Galway
Flaggy Shore Oysters, Co Clare
Foyle Bia Mara, Co Donegal
Harty Oysters, Co Waterford
Haven Shellfish, Co Cork
Irish Premium Oysters, Co Donegal
Kelly Oysters, Co Galway
Moyasta Oysters, Co Clare
Réalt na Mara Shellfish, Co Kerry
Rossmore Oysters, Co Cork
Sligo Oyster Experience, Co Sligo
Waterford Oysters, Co Waterford
Wild Atlantic Oyster, Co Sligo
Woodstown Bay Shellfish, Co Waterford
Where can I learn more?
For anyone who wants to read more about the oyster industry in Ireland and the UK, let me recommend Bobby Groves fun and informative book ‘Oyster Isles’ and this short ‘History of the Irish Oyster’ from Trinity College Dublin to get you started.
I guarantee that you’ll get weirdly invested in the wonderful world of the oyster.
Achill is in Mayo