Know your
OYS T ER S
Terrence Allison photo
The not so secret secret to good oysters – is safe handling. From the moment you purchase, insure that they are kept cold and fresh – on ice or covered with a damp cloth in the fridge to keep them moist. Fresh oysters must be alive just before consumption or cooking. Tap on the shell– a live oyster will close up and is safe to eat.
Olympia
The native oyster to Washington State, the Olympia oyster is a half dollar size with a metallic finish. The Olympia oyster fishery ran from the mid-1800s until about 1915 supplying California’s demand for oysters. The oysters were harvested from shallow bays of southern Puget Sound and Willapa Bay until pollution and over harvesting caused a collapse of the wild fishery.
Pacific
Native to Japan, farmers began experimenting with the Pacific oyster in 1904. Washington began importing seed in commercial quantities
in the 1930s. This practice of importing seed lasted for over 45 years. The Pacific is now the most important commercial species on the West Coast. Beginning in the 1950s researchers began to study Pacific reproduction to reduce the dependence on seed imports. Since the 1970s local shellfish growers have relied on hatcheries for the production to meet the demand for NW oysters.
limited supply has growers altering growing practices to create cupped Pacific oysters to meet half shell market demands. Growers use flip or tumble bags to chip the shell of the Pacific and force it into a deeper cup. Specialty oysters with names such as Kusshi, Shigoku, Sea Cow, Blue Pools, Chelsea Gems, and Baywater Sweets, are the result.
Kumamoto
Virginica
The Kumamoto has a small deep cup and a sweet meat that is prized by raw oyster consumers. Brought to WA from Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, they are unable to reproduce in Northwest waters so growers rely exclusively on hatchery stock. The prized cup of the Kumamoto oyster and its
FJORD 16
The decline of the Olympia oyster opened the door for the import of the Virginica from the east coast in the early 1900s. The eastern oysters did not adapt well to NW waters and experienced large die off when transplanted. There are still beds of Virginicas raised by WA shellfish farmers.
