Gastronome

UNDER THE SEA

BY NANCY DAVIDSON

Discover how an oyster’s environment can affect the way it tastes.

The concept of terroir (meaning “taste of the earth”) is usually applied to wine to explain the influence of the environment on the flavor and characteristics of grapes. The idea is that you can taste the soil in the finished product.

According to Terry Sawyer, co-owner of Hog Island Oyster Company (www.hogislandoysters.com), an oyster farm in Marin County, CA, this concept can also be applied to oysters—only it’s the flavor of the ocean you taste.

Where an oyster grows strongly influences its flavor.

For example, the crisp, clean, sweet flavor of Hog Island Sweetwater oysters, a West Coast variety, is from the pristine waters of Tomales Bay.

“The flavors vary throughout the year, but the oysters are usually briny with an accent of cucumber and sometimes melon,” Sawyer says. “Some people can [even] tell the difference between oysters [pulled] from one end of the bay to the other.”

If oysters of the same bay can vary, it’s no surprise that those from opposite coasts do. If you took East Coast Blue Point oyster seedlings and planted some in Tomales Bay and some in South Carolina’s Breach Inlet, the flavor of the mature oysters would differ. The warmer Southern temperatures evaporate the water more so the oysters are saltier with a more pronounced briny flavor.

“It’s the same species of oyster all along the East Coast,” says Chef Charles Arena of Charleston’s The Boathouse at Breach Inlet (www.crewcarolina.com; 843-886-8000). “Based on the environment in which they live, they all taste different.”

Another major flavor factor is freshness—so it’s best to eat local mollusks. At The Boathouse, they are delivered about 30 minutes after being harvested. And Hog Island Oyster Company not only has facilities for picnicking and shucking your own oysters right on the water, but it also makes deliveries to the nearby San Francisco Ferry Building, so people can dine almost as if they’re at the farm.

For those concerned about the possible health risks of eating raw oysters, it doesn’t hurt to know your source and buy the freshest oysters possible. Sawyer advises looking for reputable restaurants with frequent turnover. If you can watch the oysters being shucked, that’s even better.

ANISETTE POACHED OYSTERS WITH SOFT SCRAMBLED EGGS, FENNEL & BACON

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS:

For the oysters:

12 cold water oysters, out of the shell

1/2 lb butter

1 tsp water

1/2 cup anisette liqueur or Pernod walt to taste

For the eggs:

2 strips of bacon, diced

4 tsp diced fennel

1 tsp minced shallot

8 eggs, beaten pat of butter fresh tarragon, chopped salt and pepper

METHOD:

Eggs: Heat butter in a separate pan over medium heat. When it begins to foam, add bacon. Cook over medium heat about 8 minutes, until bacon is browned and crispy. Drain off excess fat and set aside to cook the eggs. Add fennel and shallot, and continue cooking until translucent, about 4 minutes. Pour in eggs, and scramble soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Oysters: Heat water over medium heat. While steaming, whisk in butter until incorporated in water. Add liqueur and salt to taste. Add oysters and poach in simmering liquid until just warmed through.

Presentation: Divide the scrambled eggs between four warm plates.

Top each with three poached oysters and a spoonful of poaching liquid. Garnish with tarragon.

—Chef Tom Harvey of Atlanta’s One Midtown Kitchen (www.onemidtownkitchen.com; 404.892.4111)