Olympia oyster ✦

Huître olympia

What it is

It is the only oyster native to the Pacific coast of North America, and Gold Rush San Francisco ate it down to almost nothing inside thirty years. Unlike the Pacific oyster it broods its larvae inside the shell instead of casting them into the water, and it takes four or five years to reach the size of a coin.

In the kitchen

Serve them on rock salt rather than crushed ice: each holds barely a teaspoon of liquor, and meltwater dilutes it to nothing. Count ten to a person, eat them naked, and let the copper-and-celery finish arrive on its own.

Goes with

Fleur de sel de Guérande Lemon Celery Cucumber Shallot White wine vinegar Butter Parsley

Same species

Belon flat oyster Oyster

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us