A plate of Pacific oysters: heaven! You can order them from Willapa Oysters. Photo by James Antrim | IST.
July 2007
Updated July 2008
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All About The Oyster
Oyster Glossary
Part 6: Oyster Types Beginning With J To N
CAPSULE REPORT: This is page six of a nine-page article about the oyster. Here, oyster types beginning with J to N. Click on the black links below to visit other pages. Also visit our more than 50 food glossaries that focus on other favorite foods, including a 13-page Seafood Glossary.
Japanese Oyster
See Pacific Oyster.
Kumamoto Oyster
Crassostrea sikamea is originally from only one bay, Kumamoto Bay off Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan. This oyster is grown in the U.S. only on the West Coast, in a few bays in California, Oregon and Washington. While Pacific and Virginica oysters are called by numerous other names based on region, Kumamotos are always known as Kumamotos (or “kumos” for short).
Lynnhaven Oyster
A variety of Virginica oyster named after an area of Virginia Beach, Virginia that runs across Chesapeake Bay, where it is harvested.
Malaspina Oyster
This thick-shelled Pacific oyster is grown on the beach on an isolated part of Canada’s Sunshine Coast, about 150 miles north of Vancouver, and farther up the coast from Fanny Bay. Like Fanny Bay, the water is very cold, imparting saltiness to the flesh. The water is nutrient-rich, so the flesh is robust. The first bite is salty, then the flavor moves to sweet and ends with the familiar Pacific northwest cucumber finish. Available from September to July.
Malpeque Oyster
A variety of Virginica oyster that grows wild in Malpeque Bay on Prince Edward Island, a Canadian province north of the Nova Scotia peninsula and east of New Brunswick. It is considered to be one of the saltier oysters due to the coldness of the water. It is very popular in Europe, where it has won many awards for its flavor and texture. Its very delicate texture is said to almost dissolve in your mouth. The meat has a very crisp, lettuce-like flavor with a clean finish. It is available from May to November.
Marennes Oyster
Known as “les vertes” (the green ones), the famous emerald green-tinged oyster of France is designated as the most superior quality oyster. It spends months in special refinement basins, called “claires,” where it feeds on a micro-algae species called the Blue Navicula (Navicula ostrea or Haslea ostrearia). In addition to color, this refinement gives it a sweeter, more flavorful meat. Marennes-Oléron, located on the Bay of Biscay in the middle of the Atlantic coast of France, is by far the largest oyster cultivation area in Europe, accounting for approximately 45% of the entire French oyster industry. Only a small portion of production comprises the costly “les vertes.” Originally home to the European (or flat) oyster, a population that is now decimated, Marennes-Oléron now grows the Pacific oyster.
Mignonette Sauce
A light, elegant sauce for oysters on the half shell. It is easily to make. For three dozen oysters, reduce by half in a saucepan 1/2 cup dry white wine and 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar. Turn off the flame and add one finely-chopped shallot and fresh-cracked white pepper. Some people add salt; others don’t, as oysters have natural salinity. Serve in small ramekins. Mignonette sauce is typically spooned on top of the oysters, rather than used as a dipping sauce.
Mountain Island Flat Oyster
A flat oyster (Ostrea edulis), cultivated in the narrows of Blind Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada raised in the traditional French manner called rack and bag, like the Belon. Very firm in texture and slightly salty with sweet meat, these oysters have distinctive mineral finish. They are available year-round.
Nootka Oyster
Nootka Sound is located a bit more than halfway up the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia—an extremely remote, rugged and windswept location where these thick-shelled Pacific oysters are cultivated on the beach. They are trucked over a logging road across a mountain range to the ferry to the mainland, so that some lucky people can enjoy an oyster with flesh that is salty, plump and rich, sweet with a cucumber finish. Available from September to July.
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