The Foodie-file: West Coast Oysters
Saturday night was oyster-fest at my house. Every once and while a group of my friends get together with a box (or two) of oysters and have a shucking-fest. Really little else is served at these shindigs – this time I made a salad, got some great breads from Stonemill bakery, a couple pieces of cheese and for dessert custard tarts from my local Portuguese bakery and fresh raspberries. We had caesars to start, lots of Champagne, Chablis and one bottle of a fantastic 2001 Barolo that Marni and Dave brought which was the perfect foil for the cheese and raspberries.
OK back to the oysters. So I headed to Oyster Boy, my usually purveyor of choice for the best bivalves, and they were out of the ones that I had order. Adam Colquhoun (the oyster-boy of Oyster Boy) suggested trying the Lambertini’s from BC to go along with my case of New Brunswick Caraquette’s – and we had the Altantic vs Pacific oyster off.
I was taken with the look of the Lambertini Oyster – they have a beautiful frilly petticoat shell, but I thought they looked trecherous to shuck. I was wrong they opened easily and were a treat to have side by side with the salty creamy Carraquette’s. They have such an unusual flavour – they taste like cucumber and watermelon. We all decided that we could eat alot more of the atlantic ones but the Lambertini’s were more exciting and exotic, it was a great pick for our oyster pig-out.
Click here to sign up for Christine’s Food for Friends
e-newsletter!
