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“An oyster leads a dreadful but exciting life,” begins MFK Fisher’s 1941 classic, Consider the Oyster. She spends the first chapter (“Love and Death Among the Mollusks”) recounting the harrowing life cycle of an average oyster, from its multiple unpredictable sex changes to its maturity spent tethered by its own foot to a hard object while any number of predators connive to literally suck its life away.
Luckily, oysters have no central nervous system and thus likely do not experience pain. Even vegans can eat them without feeling guilty.
What’s the difference between East Coast and West Coast oysters?
Let us turn back to MFK for a moment: “American oysters differ as much as American people, so that the Atlantic coast inhabitants spend their childhood and adolescence floating free and unprotected from the tides, conceived far from their mothers and their fathers too by milt let loose in the water near the eggs, while the Western oysters lie within special brood-chambers of the maternal shell, inseminated and secure, until they are some two weeks old. The Easterners seem more daring.”
Beyond their rough and tumble youth, East Coast oysters differ markedly from their Pacific cousins in texture and taste. All native East Coast oysters come from one species, Crassostrea virginicas, or simply Atlantic oysters. (West Coast oysters come from one of three other species: Pacific, Kumamoto, and Olympia). Atlantic oysters tend to taste brinier and more savory than their sweeter Pacific cousins, largely because the Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific.
If all the East Coast oysters are the same species, then why do they look and taste so different?
Factors like water temperature, depth, current patterns, and nutrient content in the water also affect oyster flavor. That’s why oysters that grow in a sheltered bay may look and taste entirely different from those grown along a more open coastline or in a river. Oysters that grow in deeper, colder water tend to grow more slowly, resulting in a plumper, firmer texture. Brininess becomes particularly pronounced the farther up the coast you go. Generally, oysters are named after the body of water or land mass in or off which they live.
Farmed vs. wild?
Farmed oysters are actually the more environmentally friendly choice. Oyster farms have very minimal negative impact on the environment and can even improve water quality. Eating wild oysters depletes those stocks with no health or taste benefit. (In fact, they often taste worse.) You’ll have trouble finding wild oysters at restaurants, anyway: 95 percent of the oysters we eat are farmed.
What about that “no eating oysters in months without an “r” thing?
Short version: It’s a myth. You can eat East Coast oysters safely at any time of year. The edict arose out of a real concern: The “red tides” (massive blooms of algae that swamp the coast in warmer months when the algae breed) give off toxins that oysters—who filter seawater for food—can absorb. Nowadays, commercial oyster farming is strictly regulated, so the oysters you’re getting at restaurants and supermarkets won’t expose you to poisonous algae toxins. That being said, oysters are at their best taste-wise during colder months. January and February are high season for these mysterious, tantalizing blobs.
How should I choose my oysters?
Like most foods, it depends on what you’re going for. Here’s the lowdown on what to expect from a few of the most common oysters you’re like to find at D.C. raw bars:
Bluepoint: The fresh, sweet taste, firm texture, and clean finish of a true Bluepoint makes it a great starter oyster. They’re farmed off Long Island Sound.
Malpeque: One of the single most common oysters you’ll find on the East Coast, the sweet-briny balance and mild aftertaste of these Prince Edward Island oysters make them a crowd-pleaser.
Wellfleet: These highly prized oysters get their briny, sweet flavor and crisp finish from the calm, salty waters off northeastern Cape Cod Bay. They are exposed on the beach twice every day as the tides roll out, which helps firm up their texture.
Beausoleil: Farmed in floating trays in a bay off New Brunswick, these oysters live about as far north as Atlantic oysters are able. They live a coddled life, rocking near the surface of the water, and their delicate flavor reflects it. Some say their aroma is lightly yeasty, like champagne. An excellent starter choice.
Olde Salt: True to their name, these guys are salty. If you could eat the sea, it might taste like this. Best chased with beer.
Rappahannock River: Because they’re grown upriver, these are some of the least salty East Coast oysters out there. The lack of salt allows a buttery creaminess to come through. These are a natural wine oyster.
Stingray: Grown in a bay of the Chesapeake, these oysters fall halfway between the salt punch of the Olde Salts and the mild Rappahannock River oysters. All three are grown by the Croxton brothers who run Rappahannock Oyster Co. and the eponymous bar at Union Market.
Where can I try them?
Hank’s Oyster Bar (1624 Q Street NW and two other locations in Alexandria and Capitol Hill) serves a rotating selection of oysters on the half-shell (for $1 each at happy hour on weekdays), along with sake oyster shooters, oyster po’ boys, fried oysters, and a full menu of mostly casual “urban beach food” with some fancier creative specials.
You can find both West and East Coast oysters at Pearl Dive Oyster Palace (1612 14th Street NW). They serve them on the half-shell, grilled, confited, wrapped in bacon, Rockefeller-ed, and done up plenty of other ways that you’ll have to ask them about.
Rappahannock Oyster Bar at Union Market (1309 5th Street NE) serves the oysters they farm in Virginia’s Rappahannock River and two different bays. They also sell them unshucked so you can take them home with you. Finally, check out Eat the Rich (1839 7th Street NW), where you can toss back your Chesapeake oysters with pitcher cocktails to a rock-and-roll soundtrack.
