6 new oyster varieties foodies should know about
Kumamotos used to rule the world of oysters, but now there is competition from the East Coast and the West Coast
For the past 20 years, Kumamotos has ruled the shellfish platter. It is the Beyoncé of the oyster world, a one word-named powerhouse mollusk that is simultaneously smooth, rich, and crowd-pleasing.
They came to prominence in the 1990’s on the West Coast (having arrived from Japan in the 1940s, to little acclaim). Today, in spite of its higher price point, it continues to be a best-seller at the Lobster Place, one of New York’s top seafood purveyors, and its Cull & Pistol oyster bar.
But Lobster Place owner Ian McDonald and Davis Herron, its director of retail and restaurant, have seen increased interest in newer names. “Folks are expanding their horizons as they look to try as many different oysters from as many different locations as possible. We’re seeing a 25 per cent year-over-year growth in multivariety platters,” Herron says.
One major reason is increased supply: For some time, the North Fork has been ramping up oyster production. “Now we’re seeing a definitive increase in the supply of Maine oysters. Nonesuch is a good example. Consumers are interested in tasting from regions that might have been, historically, more difficult to come by.”
Another bivalve expert, chef Kerry Heffernan – whose seafood empire includes the seasonal Grand Banks oyster bar in Tribeca, Island Oyster on Governors Island, and Seaworthy in New Orleans – is also seeing an increase in such southern oysters as Black Duck Salts from Virginia. “Modern aquaculture techniques are now providing us with oysters that are much different from what you typically expect,” he says.
Modern aquaculture techniques are now providing us with oysters that are much different from what you typically expect
Oyster consumption in general is on the rise. McGregor estimates that he sells about 3 million oysters a year, a 25 per cent increase from five years ago. For one thing, they are one of the few good news stories in a world of environmental alarm bells. On the East Coast, ventures such as the Billion Oyster Project, in which Lobster Place is a partner, are helping to clean up and invigorate waterways. That and oysters’ low-calorie, high-protein, Happy Hour associations have contributed to making them a menu necessity.
We asked Heffernan, McGregor, Herron, and chef Joshua Skenes (of Saison and the soon-to-open Angler oyster and seafood bar in the Bay Area) what six names to look for on raw bar menus this summer.
EAST COAST
Peconic Gold (Long Island, N.Y.)