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Aw, Shucks
Aww, Shuck s
LOVE ON THE HALF SHELL
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The cold waters off Canada’s east coast produce excellent oysters, for years, the enjoyable briny-sweet Malpeque from Prince Edward Island has been the best-known and most widely coveted around the world.
Briny and flavorful, these oysters off the coast of Prince Edward Island benefit from the ice-cold conditions of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and results in oysters that are a touch sweet with a light mineral finish. Housed in a large, shallow shell, these oysters are the source of pristine sips and satisfied palates at some of the world’s finest tables. These delicious bivalves are also rumoured to help your love life.
“PEI Oysters are so special because of the waters they are grown in.” Kendra Mills, of Brackley Bay Oysters, “We have such clean, cold, pristine environments on PEI and that’s reflected in the product.”
Malpaques are PEI’s most famous local oyster variety and are found on menus all over the world, from New York to Beijing.
“There are many varieties of oysters, all with their own unique taste, texture, and size. The flavour differences between each brand will reflect the waters they are grown in.” Atlantic Aqua Farms Oyster Product Manager, Lisa Prosper said, “Oyster flavour changes depending on their growing environment and the nutrients in waters they are grown in. Each region will have its own distinctive attributes.”
On the Island, bivalves are known by the waters where they grow. If you haven’t experienced it for yourself, now is the time. Colville Bay at the mouth of the Souris River. Grown at the bottom of the bay, the sand is soft and silty which helps to create the perfect environment. The distinct salty-sweet flavour will leave you craving more.
On the north shore of PEI, Raspberry Points are grown in off-bottom cages. Keeping them off the bottom of the bay provides a lighter flavour and nicely manicured shells. Their characteristics are a salty flavour, a clean finish and a bit of crunch.
Bedeque Bay and Summerside cultivated in Salutation Cove, this spot receives two strong tidal surges each day, giving oysters in this area extra nutrients. This environment helps them grow twice as fast as others on the Island. They are also stronger flavoured than the typically light flavour of Maritime oysters.
Oysters grown wild in the glacial depths of Malpeque Bay are harvested by hand-tonging out of small skiffs. At a Paris exhibition in 1900, the Malpeque Oyster was judged as the world’s tastiest oysters with a meaty bite as well as a quick, clean and sweet finish.
“In terms of taste, I would say there is not a lot of difference between a wild and farmed oyster.”Prosper said, “The main difference would be in the shape. A wild oyster does not get handled prior to harvest so they tend to be a little rough around the edges, whereas, a farmed oyster is handled throughout its growth cycle which allows the farmer to control the shape giving a consistent shell. Farmed oysters are not fed and grow naturally, fed by Mother Nature. Farmed means they grow in a controlled environment where the farmers can ensure they grow strong, and have a beautiful shape.”
Both Prosper and Mills agree it’s all about the flavour, you when shucking an oyster, “Keep your cup side down to maintain all the “liquor” inside the oyster as possible. That’s salty seawater!”
“My favourite way to eat an oyster is raw and nothing on it so I can enjoy its merroir, but there is no wrong way to eat an oyster!” Prosper said, “When I started eating oysters, I was always told to swallow it whole, but I feel you need to give it a couple of chews to aerate the meat, this releases the amazing combination of flavours inside.”
“My favourite way to eat oysters is fresh shucked with some Maritime Madness Heavenly Horseradish sauce.” Mills said, “If I am going to be a little more adventurous, I have a baked oyster recipe with panko, lemon and butter and I love a good, crispy fried oyster. But my go-to is fresh shucked with Heavenly Horseradish.”
Prosper encourages you to try a simple squeeze of lemon, hot sauce, horseradish, or your favourite mignonette. Or try them all!
“Oysters used to have an old wives’ tale to eat in months that end in “R”.” Mills said, “While oysters stop feeding as the waters get cold, and go into dormancy, that old tale likely came from lack of refrigeration.”
When oysters are feeding in the summer, they have a shelf life of about a month (if stored properly), but when they go into dormancy and stop feeding, they have a shelf life of up to three months! So, before refrigeration, oysters were shipped more after the waters cooled down. But now, with modern refrigeration, oysters are kept at proper temperatures all the time, so they can be enjoyed all year!
If you’ve never had a PEI oyster, make 2022 the summer you introduce yourself to the famous bivalves and get slurping!
HOW TO SHUCK AN OYSTER!
By Robbie Moore Photos Evan Ceretti
1) Find the hinge of the oyster where the shells meet. A place where you can firmly feel a groove for the knife. 2) Twist the knife back and forth with some pressure to work the knife further into the hinge. It may take a little time to keep twisting with pressure, and continually moving the knife further into the shell. Don’t hesitate to take the knife out, wipe off any bits of shell or sand that may accumulate on the knife. You want a clean knife when the oyster is opened. 3) Once you feel confident the knife is worked in, give it more pressure to snap the hinge apart. It may take a little work between steps three and four to get that snap, which is ok. 4) Take your cleaned knife, and run it along the top part shell to cut the abductor muscle from the top shell. Keep your cup side down to maintain all the “liquor” inside the oyster as possible. That’s salty seawater! 5) Run the knife along the bottom of the oyster to cut the bottom muscle. Try to keep as much of the oyster intact as you can! 6) Loosen the oyster fully from the shell 7) Dress with any lemon, seafood sauce, mignonette - or nothing at all! 8) Tip the bottom shell up, ensuring all liquor from the oyster is eaten along with the oyster itself. It goes down in one fluid motion. It should taste like the sea, briny, fresh, cold. Delicious!
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Kendra Mills and Robbie Moore
Brackley Bay Oyster Company
long-time local delicacies available through two Island storefronts
Oysters are among Prince Edward Island’s most exceptional locallysourced foods. In addition to perfect beach days, the water surrounding the Island offers superb oysters.
In fact, the delicious oysters caught between Brackley Beach and Stanhope have been exported internationally for years. Since 2020, that oyster lease has been the purview of Brackley Bay Oyster Company, founded by partners Kendra Mills and Robbie Moore.
Their stellar Brackley Bay oysters are available in several spots around the Island. Restaurants including Landmark Oyster House and the Pilot House source oysters from Brackley Bay Oyster Co.; customers can also purchase Brackley Bay oysters to prepare at home from Foodland and MR Seafoods.
Readers should consider a visit to Brackley Bay Oyster Co.’s West Covehead storefront, since Mills and Moore serve customers directly at that location.
“Robbie and I both feel strongly that, when you come into our business, it’s like coming into our home,” Mills says. “We know so many customers; we’ve met so many new people who are now friends.” Visitors are welcome to consult staff on which oyster size to purchase, as well as how oysters are farmed and caught. Staff can also explain the company’s unique specialties; for instance, “Wild Caught” PEI oysters, which may especially appeal to customers focused on sustainable seafood. The location also offers seafood ingredients in addition to oysters to round out a customer’s purchase.
If a visitor is tentative about shucking their own oysters, Moore is happy to coach them. In fact, Brackley Bay Oyster Co. will soon offer shucking workshops.
“If you can shuck, there’s no ‘preparing’ oysters. You don’t even need a plate. You can eat oysters off the shell,” Mills explains. “And it’s cool to know how to shuck an oyster! Isn’t that a key life skill, as an Islander? To be able to shuck an oyster, dig a potato and open a lobster?!”
September will see a second Brackley Bay Oyster Co. location open in Brackley
Beach. When it does, partner
Kendra Mills plans to display a “timeline” of the oyster lease in the store. She and partner Robbie Moore trace its history back decades.
– Partner Kendra Mills (right) Photos courtesy of Schafler family
Brackley Bay Oyster Company 802 MacMillan Point Rd, West Covehead 902.439.5393 www.brackleybayoysterco.com
