oysters

Photo: Rob Corlett
It is Grand Central Station, New York City. Go down the escalator to the lower floor, underground, and enter the Oyster Bar; a grand, cavernous space, giant chandeliers, gleaming tiles reflecting light.

Photo: Rob Corlett
People are everywhere, savouring oysters from the east and west coasts, from the top to the bottom of the country. Each oyster can be bought individually - Bluepoint, Boques Bay, Caraquet, Hood Canal, Little Skookum, Mecox, Meximoto, Pemaquid, Tatamoguche, Wellsfleet, to name a few.

You can sit at the counter and watch the experts shucking oysters and sliding them in front of you on ice, or you can be at any of four other sections in the restaurant and sample the same and more, such as its classic dish - a steaming bowl of bouillabaisse.

Even if you are not passionate about oysters, your curiosity has to be aroused by myriad options the menu holds. The menu of April 29, 2009, had 30 different oysters, named from the source - Boques Bay in Virginia, Caraquet in New Brunswick, Meximoto from Baja California, Tatamoguche in Nova Scotia, Little Skookum from Washington. Each is different in texture, size and taste, as well as variety.

The complexity of oysters is a little like that of different wine varieties. They are vastly different to the palate. Aficionados know the different varieties by name, and the qualities they will experience when tasting them.

All edible oysters are from the Ostreidae family. There are three principal genuses that feature in oyster eating. Members of the Ostrea genus live immersed in sea water, while Saccostrea and Crassostrea live in intertidal zones.

On the menu of the Oyster Bar, many of the oysters are either Crassostrea gigas (Pacific oysters) or Crassostrea virginica (Atlantic or Eastern oysters).
Photo: Rob Corlett

In New Zealand, we have all three of the principal genuses. Bluff oysters are in fact Ostrea chilensis, as are the oysters in Nelson and Marlborough. They are dredge oysters and are native to New Zealand and Chile, and have been commercially harvested here for more than 100 years.

New Zealand rock oysters are from the species Saccostrea commercialis, and are found in the intertidal zone in the north of the North Island. These oysters have been farmed commercially in the north of the country for about 40 years.

The interloper is Crassostrea gigas, the Pacific oyster, which appeared in our waters in the 1950s, and is suspected to have arrived via Japan. They now form the majority of our farmed oyster crop. They are vigorous and grow much faster than our native species, and are established in a range of places, including the Marlborough Sounds.

Photo: Rob Corlett

The latest commercial venture here in Nelson is the Cawthron Institute's oyster hatchery at the Glen, soon to be officially opened with an event featuring celebrity chef Peta Mathias creating an oyster dish to be prepared and served by NMIT hospitality staff and students.

Olin Pilcher, of Cawthron, says rearing Pacific oysters is like handling gravel or farming rocks. He explains that the beauty of hatchery-raised spat is that you get a much more uniform product.

Three-quarters of industry spat comes from the wild, sourced mainly from the Kaipara Harbour. From the wild, you get what you get, and the spat is variable in terms of numbers and quality. Hatchery spat can be bred for colour, shell shape and growth rate.

The Cawthron initiative has the capacity to grow up to 20 million spat a year. They are grown to about the size of a fingernail before being shipped to oyster farms, where they will be raised for another nine to 12 months.

New Zealand is a small player on the world oyster scene, with the industry producing about 45 million oysters a year.

Photo: Marion van Dijk
Oysters can be eaten raw, smoked, baked, fried, roasted, grilled, steamed or pickled. True oyster lovers consider it sacrilege to cook an oyster, and believe that the only way to eat them is raw.

The species and the place they grow greatly influence their taste. Pacific oysters are often described as being creamy with a mineral ocean taste, whereas an Atlantic oyster is described as saltier.

Each ocean, sea, bay or inlet has different conditions and water qualities, and this is reflected in the taste of the oyster. Each has its own degree of saltiness, and tastes are varied, with descriptors such as a fruit or almond finish.

Oysters are good for you - they are an excellent source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and D. Four to five oysters a day will supply you with the recommended daily allowance of iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese and phosphorus.

Here are a few recipes.

OYSTER SHOT: Make a bloody mary mix by adding to tomato juice a dash or three of worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce. Add some celery salt and black pepper. Add vodka to taste. Mix well. In a shot glass, add an oyster and pour over the bloody mary mix. Have 3 or 4.

OYSTERS WITH NOBU'S THREE SALSAS: From Nobu the Cookbook by Nobuyuki Matsuhisa (visiting the Nobu restaurant in New York is an amazing culinary experience)
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Photo: Marion van Dijk

12 fresh oysters in the shell

4 Tbsp matsuhisa salsa

4 Tbsp maui onion salsa

4 Tbsp jalapeno salsa

Finely chopped chives for garnish Remove the oysters from their shells and rinse under cold water. Drain. Arrange the oysters in their shells and top with a little of each salsa - use four oysters per salsa. Sprinkle the chives over the maui onion salsa.

MATSUHISA SALSA: 1/2cup (60g) finely chopped onion

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp garlic

1/4 tsp chilli oil

1/4 tsp finely grated ginger

1 Tbsp oil

Combine and add 1/2 cup (10g) finely chopped parsley before use.

JALAPENO SALSA: finely chopped jalapeno chillis

1 1/4 cups (125g) finely chopped onion

1 tsp sea salt

5 tsp extra virgin olive oil

5 Tbsp lemon juice

Combine.

MAUI ONION SALSA

1 cup (100g) finely chopped maui onion

3/4 cup (105g) finely chopped tomato

6 Tbsp Ponzu (Japanese citrus-based sauce)

2 tsp orange juice (freshly squeezed)

1 tsp hot chilli sauce. Combine.

ANGELS ON HORSEBACK:
This is a classic canape that was a party favourite decades ago and may be enjoying a comeback.

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 clove garlic, chopped

12 oysters

6 slices lean bacon

Salt and pepper

Mix the wine, garlic, salt and pepper together. Add the oysters and marinate for 10 to 20 minutes. Preheat the grill. Cut each bacon slice in half and wrap around an oyster, securing with a toothpick. Grill on both sides until the bacon is crisp. Serve while still warm.