Coastal Delicacies

Head to the village of Mali Ston on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast to indulge in its famous European flat oysters, farmed here since the times of the Roman Empire.

by Waheeda Harris

The sent of oranges has followed me from the orchards of Croatia’s Neretva river valley as my coach winds from those verdant hills toward the enticing Dalmatian Coast, a popular holiday destination since the days of the Roman Empire. With more than 1,200 islands and numerous beaches, the shimmering Adriatic Sea is an idyllic vacation playground.

Medieval seaside village Mali Ston;

Here in the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean, the azure shades of the sea cause many of my fellow travelers to gasp in delight, snapping photos as our bus descends south along the coast on the way to Dubrovnik. But first, a stop in the medieval seaside village of Mali Ston.

Home to fewer than 150 people, this town on the Pelješac Peninsula has imposing surroundings: the Walls of Ston. Nicknamed the Great Wall of Europe, this 14th-century structure is among the longest fortifications on the continent. The village’s low-rise pale stone buildings are crowned with red ceramic roofs, while bright bursts of pink bougainvillea are found in between buildings lining the edge of the Bay of Mali Ston.

The view through an opening of the Walls of Ston

I stand in the shade of the grand Toljevac Tower as our guide tells us about the region’s salt production, one of the oldest operations in Europe. With a pending UNESCO World Heritage status for its historical edifices, a famed salt history and the wide variety of marine life in the Malostonski Zaljev Nature Reserve, Mali Ston has another claim to fame: oysters.

European flat oysters have been farmed in these waters for more than 700 years, with locals boasting French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and former Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito as fans of ostrea edulis, the species of mollusk. More than half of the country’s shellfish farming is located within Mali Ston Bay, with approximately two million oysters harvested annually.

The fresh scent of the sea surrounds me as the wooden tour boat leaves the dock and gently glides through the bay waters, the sun’s rays illuminating the oyster farms below the surface. Gazing, down, I notice the oysters are like a kindergarten class on an outing, each attached to a blue string descending to the depths of the salt water.

Fresh catch waiting to be processed

The farmer shows us all sizes of oysters—the younger set’s shells are light gray, while those ready to harvest are linked to the rope in pairs, their dark shells blanketed in layers of brown algae.

Shucked quickly by one of the farmers, the coastal delicacy is offered to me au naturel, the briny sea scent and salty flavor a heady experience for my unaccustomed palate.

My usual convention of adding a dash of hot sauce or a spoonful of mignonette is unnecessary: I’m happily indulging in these bivalves as they are, tasting three years of hard work and centuries of history all contained within their shells. Although scientific studies can’t confirm their reputed aphrodisiac properties, I’ve fallen in love with these oysters.

Back on the mainland, we gather at a harbor restaurant’s shaded terrace for a locally sourced seafood feast: steamed mussels and shrimp, grilled octopus and lobster, and platters of Mali Ston oysters, my new addiction now consumed with a squeeze of lemon, a glass of chilled Pošip (a lovely Dalmatian white wine) and repeated toasts of živjeli! Let’s live!

Oysters pair beautifully with sauvignon blanc