There are only two main species of Oysters that we find ourselves gobbling in Australia, the flat and the cup-shaped. This week at the Oysters and sake event I organised with Andre from Kumo and Adriane Strampp as part of the Fringe Food Festival we had 13 varieties including from (Tasmania) Blackmans Bay, Saint Helens, Pipe Clay Lagoon, Dunalley; (South Australian) Coffin Bay, Streaky Bay, Kangaroo Island, Smoky Bay, Thevenard (Ceduna); and (New South Wales) Wallis Lakes and Tweed Heads.
These were all the cup-shaped Sydney rocks and Coffin Bays. It can be difficult to tell the flats and cupped apart though, as the action of the sea and environment can shape them. The flat Ostreinae are usually found in colder waters. The cup-shaped Crassostreinae are usually found in more tropical places and in the case of the small Tweed Heads were a favourite among the favourites of the 30 people who attended.
First some background. Sydney rock (Saccostrea glomerata) are natives. They are smaller than other varieties and have a more subtle flavour than other varieties. They are also better in flavour and texture towards summer than the South Australians.
Andre pours sake to match with the oysters
Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas), or Coffin Bay, are from Japan and are grown pretty much anywhere. To my mouth some of the SA oysters were a bit too soft and milky while the NSW ones had more crunch and appealing bite.
Sadly, we didn’t have any Native oysters (Ostrea angasi), are also known as angasi oysters (which we didn’t have) which are grown around Merimbula but were unavailable on the day.
Regional oyster taste profiles. Source: CSRIO
Most oysters can be described to be creamy, with a smooth texture that coats the mouth. There is also a savoury taste to them – umami – which is why they are an ideal match to saki which has similar savoury characteristics.
Their flavours are also affected by species and location, the Sydney rock, for instance, being a much milder. And because oysters filter the water they inhabit they taste of that place. They have a terroir if you will depending on specific locations and whether they are from the sea or an estuary they will vary in that fresh ozone-like saltiness.
The oyster industry is trying to pull together a common language to describe the individual tastes with the CSRIO researching it, judging regional oysters by:
External appearance (size and shape)
Internal appearance (meat/shell ratio, colour, fullness)
Odour (marine, iodine, seaweed, earthy)
Taste (salt, sweet, bitter)
Texture (Resilience, creaminess)
Aftertaste (duration)
According to the research (warning pdf), you should find that the Tasmanian and NSW Oysters will have a more marine flavour and odour and are more creamy. The South Australian should be more salty, firm and chewy and probably with a hint of earthiness.
The aftermath.
5 Comments