The Rare Oyster Variety That Was James Beard's Favorite
Enjoyed raw and freshly shucked on the half shell, or baked, grilled, roasted, or smoked, oysters have been a delicacy since ancient times. In Nort...
Enjoyed raw and freshly shucked on the half shell, or baked, grilled, roasted, or smoked, oysters have been a delicacy since ancient times. In North America alone, you can find more than 150 types that are harvested and sold locally, though they all come from just five species of oysters, notes Chef's Resources: the Atlantic or Eastern (Crassostrea Virginica), European Flat or Belon (Ostrea edulis), Kumamoto (Crassostrea sikamea), Pacific (Crassostrea gigas), and Olympia (Ostrea lurida). And out of these five species, only two are actually native to North America: the Atlantic oysters on the East Coast, and the Olympia oysters on the West Coast.