Oysters

Jason Hill of cookingsessions.com

Oysters Are Lively at Oregon Seafood

Oregon Seafood has many different types of Oysters depending on the time of season. Check out some of the Oysters and the descriptions of how each one tastes. Oregon Seafood gets its Oysters delivered right from the ocean to their door step. Fresh Oysters for your dining pleasure is the goal of a good seafood company.

Elkhorn Oysters: A Pacific oyster harvested from the farmed beds in the Willapa Bay near the Willapa National Wildlife Refuse in Washington, this oysters is especially well suited for the half shell market due to their appearance and flavor. These oysters have a characteristically clean, green tinged shell, rounded cups and beach worn fluted look. Each oyster is packed with firm, crisp, briny, crunchy meat that finishes with a clean, melon like flavor. Availability is excellent as the Pacific Northwest rarely ices over.

Hood Canal Oysters: These wild beach oysters are harvested in the southern hook of the Hood Canal. Being a beach oyster, these animals are very dardy and have a very long shelf life. The area where the oysters are harvested has a substrate made up of small pebbles and natural gravel. This type of condition leaves these oysters clean with only a quick rinse (needed before use). The farmer takes pride in harvesting the best shapes for the half shell market.

Kumamoto: Originally from the Kumamoto area of Kyushu, Japan, this very slow growing oyster is small in size (1.5 – 2 in) with a very deep cup. The Kumamoto has a firm texture, rich in flavor, creamy and slightly salty. The finish is buttery-sweet, mildly fruity, with a hint of metallic flavor. Kumamoto oysters are cultivated now successfully in CA, OR, WA, and Mexico. This oyster is popular with the novice half-shell oyster consumer.

Oysterville: Close to the Pacific Ocean, the Oysterville beds are provided with excellent food so the oysters grow to a rich, marketable size. When ready for harvest IN 18-24 months, these beach oysters are picked by hand at low tide. Picking them by hand keeps the oysters free of sand and grit and assures good shapes for the half shell market. Varying weather conditions constantly pound this area causing the food variety and quantity to change with it. Because of these different growing conditions, these oysters obtain a rich complex flavor found nowhere else.