Monday is National Oyster Day and while there’s no evidence the holiday commemorates anything besides a chance to market some mollusks, that may be a good enough reason to go out and get some.
While inflation has moved many $1 oyster happy hours into $1.50 territory, it may be worth skipping the bar tradition entirely, according to Julie Qiu, co-founder of the Oyster Master Guild, a hospitality trade group focused on excellence in oyster service and education.
Read on to learn why you might want to spend a little more on oysters, along with other tips for eating them in New York City.
Reconsider the “ends in R” rule
The old adage that oysters should only be eaten in months ending in the letter ‘R’ has been out of date since the advent of plentiful refrigeration and strict food safety rules, according to Qiu.
It originally ruled out eating oysters in the warmer months when the bivalves reproduce, changing their flavor and texture, and when refrigeration (and thus safety) was more difficult.
If you’re harvesting your own wild oysters from the ocean floor, the taste factor might still come into play, she said. But the vast majority of oysters consumed worldwide are farmed, not wild, and farmed oysters are often genetically modified to not reproduce, meaning they taste similar year-round.
Still, it’s worth noting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends pregnant people, immunocompromised people, adults over 65, and children under 5 to avoid raw or undercooked seafood including oysters, and even advises the general public that raw or undercooked seafood is the “riskier” choice.
To bolster shellfish safety, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation has strict regulations in place for shellfish habitats from May 1 to Oct. 31, including closing waterways that are deemed insufficiently clean.
Follow the shucker
Both Qiu and Rutvik Patel, a photographer turned full-time oyster shucker, said going out for oysters has become difficult because restaurants often don’t pay attention to the single most important aspect of the process: the shuck.
The oyster should be cleanly separated from its shell without being mangled, should lay perfectly flat with no cuts in its belly, and its gills should remain unexposed, Patel said.
“If you don’t care about the shuck, then you don’t care about eating an oyster, you’re tasting everything wrong,” he said. “If the adductor muscle is missing, the sweetness is missing. If the gills are missing, the vegetal taste is missing. If the stomach is mangled, you’re getting the bitterness first.”
Qiu said that when she goes out for oysters, she’s not looking for certain varieties, but seeking certain people.
“It’s the same for high-end sushi, or your favorite cocktail bar or barista,” Qiu said. “There are restaurants that are well known for a specific craft, and oysters are the exact same.”
While you may not be able to inspect the shucker’s skills, you can use Qiu’s litmus test. When she’s got an unknown shucker, she orders a small amount first to assess the quality of the shuck before shelling out for more.
Some places where Qiu said she finds a consistently great shuck are Crave Fishbar, Cull & Pistol in Chelsea Market, Oyster Party at Smorgasburg (and this weekend’s Little Island pop-up), Maison Premiere in Williamsburg, and Penny in the East Village.
Skip the oyster happy hour
Qiu estimates that the lowest price a restaurant can pay for an oyster today is about 55 to 60 cents. After the costs of ice, transportation, labor and breakage, the $1.50 oysters served at happy hours are almost always loss leaders that are meant to get customers in the door so they can spend on alcohol and other food. The mollusk’s quality and the shuck aren’t prioritized.
“You get what you pay for,” Qiu said.
A better bet for a cheaper option that doesn’t compromise on quality is to find a good shucker and go for the cheaper options on the menu, which can often be the local Long Island and other Northeastern varieties.
Know your East Coast vs. West Coast oysters
There are five species of oyster available in the United States, Qiu said. Here, the Atlantic or Eastern oyster dominates. Out West, the Pacific and Kumamoto species are farmed widely.
Northeast oysters have higher salinity and minerality, Qiu said, and become more grassy and buttery as you move down the Atlantic toward Chesapeake Bay. The Pacific oyster has more cucumber and seaweed notes.
Shipping and wholesale pricing play an obvious part in why East Coast oysters from Long Island; Prince Edward Island; Massachusetts and Maine dominate New York City menus, Qiu said. PEI oysters in particular are very easy to open, which is why restaurants with inexperienced shuckers might stock them.
Perhaps surprisingly, Qiu said, New York City restaurants have begun moving away from the Blue Point oyster, which is farmed off Long Island. Although it was once ubiquitous and world-renowned for its flavor, according to Qiu, many eateries have deemed it a boring choice.
“We’re now in this craft oyster, artisanal oyster era, where everybody’s scoffing at the Blue Point, which is sad,” Qiu said.
Patel favors Northeast oysters, preferring anything from PEI, though his absolute favorite is the harder-to-find Dutch Flat, which is originally from Europe but is now cultivated in small quantities in Maine.
Remember: Oyster flavors are deeply local
You may have heard that oysters were once plentiful and cheap in New York City’s waters. The bivalves even grew in the East River and Rockaway, and various organizations are trying to restore their population, albeit with mixed results.
But interesting local oyster varieties throughout the tristate area are experiencing a veritable boom, according to Jeremy Benson, general manager of Crave Fishbar’s Upper West Side location.
He lists Great Gun and Lucky 13 oysters from Long Island, as well as several from Mystic and Norwalk, Connecticut, among his favorites.
Benson says no food tastes of where it’s from as much as the oyster, which is a filter-feeder that eats plankton and algae from the water it’s raised in.
Wellfleets, the popular variety from New England, remind him of the beaches he grew up on in Massachusetts, whereas Great South Bay oysters remind him of summers on Jones Beach when he was in college.
“You’re really tasting the beach that the oyster grew up on,” Benson said.