Ah oysters, the glorious, divisive bivalve. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the slippery suckers are a staple on many restaurant menus, and a glorious extravagance to those who are fans.
An oyster is not simply an oyster, however. No – oysters, like many foods, come at varying levels of quality and taste – and the jewel in the crown is often thought to be natives, the seasonal oysters that are grown wild and are only available between the months of September and April.
Scarcity of course breeds demand, so it’s no surprise that, given they’re only around for half of the year, native oysters command a certain amount of fervour when they hit menus again. But, for this mollusc, it’s not simply its short-lived timeline that has chefs and diners rhapsodising about them, but also their pronounced flavour, creamy texture and general concentration of everything people love about oysters.
Known for their flat and uniform shape, compared to the longer, bulbous rock oysters, natives can take up to six years to fully grow, compared to two years for their year-round counterparts. It is not necessarily that natives are better than rocks, that is ultimately a matter of taste. It’s that wild growing means that natives tend to develop a deeper, creamier texture, and a mineral, nutty flavour that simply cannot be replicated by farmed rock oysters (also known as Pacific oysters, as this is where they first grew.)
So, why do chefs love them? And how are they best eaten during their brief season? We decided to ask some of our favourite chefs to share their reasons and recipes.
Ben Tish, Chef Director at Cubitt House
Native oysters are a real step up from rocks - they are seasonal and are much finer and consistent in shape and size. Whilst they may be smaller than rocks the flavour is much more pronounced and delicious - mainly due to the fact they take a good while to grow and develop, some five years or so until they are ready to be harvested. Our Native oysters from the UK are a real culinary celebration, some of the best in the world. My personal favourites are Whitstable and Orford, served naturally - let the flavour of the oyster do all the talking!
Robin Gill, Chef Patron of Darby’s
I’ve been lucky enough to visit the West Coast of Galway a number of times on sourcing trips for shellfish, and it was on one of these trips where I got to see what makes the flat shell native oysters so special. It was the perfect recipe of crystal clear waters brought from the daily tides of fresh water in the rivers Clarinbridge and Kilcolgan, mixed with the salt water from the icy Atlantic, creating a blend of salt and minerality. It’s a rough and rugged coast that bashes the oysters around creating a plump firm oyster with a blast of sweetness. I think the flavour of these oysters are so unique that you can just add a little fresh lemon juice. However, when I was there once helping to harvest them, I noticed a load of sugar kelp growing on the frames of the outer beds, so this sugar kelp lightly pickled is something I like to serve with them.
James Jay, Head Chef of Sur-Mer at The Suffolk
The thing with natives is they take up to five years to grow, but my God are they worth the wait. I love rocks as much as the next chef but natives are meatier with a more concentrated flavour. You can’t beat that taste. The price for us chefs if you’re buying them is greater - rocks cost around 60p while natives you’re looking at £2. The added cost is all down to the time it takes to nurture them. Due to their sweet taste, I love making a little sweet and spicy dressing to go with them. Put equal measures, of ginger juice, lime juice, honey and toasted sesame oil in a bowl and give it a little whisk. A spoon of that over your native oyster and you’re in for a right treat. In my view, it’s a perfectly balanced mouthful.
Richard Corrigan, Chef Patron of the Corrigan Collection
The Royal Whitstable natives have a gloriously minerally flavour which can be described as “metallic” which might sound a little strange, but you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when you taste one. At Bentley’s, we are serving two types of natives - Loch Ryans from Scotland and Royal Whitstable. They are just perfection, they really are. The flavour is far more intense than other varieties. The texture of native oysters is more firm and meaty, although the meat content is smaller than rock oysters, so it’s important to chew the oysters rather than just swallowing them. They have a deeper and more briny flavour than rock oysters. Once you've tasted one you'll be a convert to natives, truly. Each region and oyster bed will produce slightly different tasting oysters but in my experience, natives from the British and Irish Isles produce the finest oysters with the most exquisite flavour.
