Why East Coast Natives Should Eat More West Coast Oysters (VIDEO)

Shared from food. curated.

So where do YOUR loyalties lie? East Coast or West Coast Oysters? I found a Native New Yorker who wants to share why she thinks West Coast are some of the best.

Meet Nellie Wu, the oyster specialist and General Manager of W&T Seafood, a family-owned and operated seafood distribution company based in Brooklyn, New York. Nellie's company has been the link to connecting great NYC chefs and restaurants to West Coast shellfish farms for the past 25 years - supplying premiere oyster hubs like The Grand Central Oyster Bar with famed West Coast oysters like Totten Inlet Virginicas, Pacifics, Kumamotos, Fanny Bay Oysters, Kusshis, Olympias and European Flats.

Nellie's passionate about West Coast oysters not only from a sustainability standpoint, but also from a taste standpoint. She firmly believes they are some of the best tasting oysters you can get in North America. And with the local food movement inspiring more New Yorkers to eat locally, she just wants people to understand the need for supporting regionally grown food as well, especially ones with a good mission behind it.

Hope you enjoy the video! Would love to know what your FAVORITE oysters are in the comments!

 

Follow Liza de Guia on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SkeeterNYC

Comments

[BrickSykes]

03:57 PM on 07/06/2010

Sadly you are correct. Most East Coast oysters are on the way out, save for anything North of Chesapeake Bay, due mostly to industrial run-off and septic system seepage. Local oysters here on the Carolina coast are borderline toxic and many outlets restrict themselves to the shipped in variety. As a low rent Southerner I've never been exposed to the selections you guys are talking about, so I cannot speak to more than 'singles' and/or clusters. Most domestic consumption is the outdoor 'oyster roast', or, if its raining 'steamed' in a big pot of water. I'd never trust any kind of 'Raw Oyster' myself because they have such a bad reputation. Plus we're well aware of raw sewage leaks from municipal systems as well as residential septic systems nearly at water's edge. No thank you.

In the 'beginning', oysters became food sources out of necessity, in my opinion. Humans are, after all, gatherers of grains and vegetables, and we watch much disease come about from flesh eating. Again, in my opinion.

Brick

[ibisko]

07:01 PM on 07/04/2010

sf north bay area
http://tomalesbayoysters.com/

[HighDesertBob]

12:59 PM on 07/01/2010

All oysters are great. I love the specific tastes from each region of the country, haven lived in all areas. I find they each have their own special taste. Yep, love them all.

[dnb310]

07:34 PM on 06/30/2010

She's just doing a commercial for her own import company! I'll take a Wellfeat over a dinkey Kummomot or Olympia any day.

[FoxIslander]

04:34 PM on 06/30/2010

I live on Puget Sound...our oysters are incredible...olympias, totten inlet, henderson bay...eat em' raw with a squirt of lime and dash of tabasco, or a dribble of absolute citron. mmmmm. the key to firm PS oysters is the cold , clean water...oysters from warmer water seem mushy to me.

[skeeternyc]

10:39 AM on 07/01/2010

It was a real treat to try Olympias for the first time. And I'll be on the lookout for henderson bays. And with CITRON! That's a new one even for me ;)

[niws1]

03:29 AM on 06/30/2010

It's a laid back kind of aphrodisiac. You'll love it.

[dvilleoysters]

10:42 PM on 06/29/2010

No way! Pacific oysters are way too salty. I prefer Chesapeake Bay oysters becuase they're smooth as butter.

The best chesapeake bay oysters are grown on our family farm!

www.deltavilleoystercompany.com

[SiameseTrainer]

02:31 AM on 06/30/2010

Looks like you have a dog in the hunt. For a totally objective view why don't you ship me gratis three or six dozen of those east coast oysters, I can pick them up at the Vancouver Airport and have a blind tasting with my gold-pannng team, oyster lovers all. We will deliver you a verdict one way or another. ;>} !!

[PB J]

12:48 PM on 06/29/2010

Great video. Those West Coast oysters can have a great melon flavor when they're at their best.

[skeeternyc]

09:26 AM on 06/29/2010

On the East Coast I really love Widow's Hole Oysters and Wellfleets too...on the west, I'd say shucking the Kumamotos right there on the farm at low-tide is pretty hard to beat!

However, I'm really really wanting to try Gulf Coast oysters. You think we won't be eating them again ever?

[PlanoBlue]

09:34 PM on 06/28/2010

Well, we won't be getting Gulf Coast oysters ever again.........

[mslindac]

08:05 PM on 06/29/2010

The best Gulf Coast oysters come from Appalachicola, and they're harvesting them right now. Some Gulf Coast oysters are from beds in bays and bayous not affected by the spill - not yet, anyway.

[Sam Smith]

05:41 AM on 06/30/2010

And Appalachicola oysters are BETTER than either east or west coast oysters. I can remember when Texas oysters and Louisiana oysters were still good, but really, the petroleum taint has been around for thirty years...

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

09:09 PM on 06/28/2010

For those, who like me, do not care for raw oysters, I recommend them lightly battered and pan fried. Yum.

[FrTown]

08:55 AM on 06/29/2010

Try them à la Rockefeller next time. Just Google for recipe and choose the one that best fits your taste.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

10:20 AM on 06/29/2010

Sounds delicious. As I live a few miles from Puget Sound, this article and comments inspire me to go get oysters today!

[skeeternyc]

09:31 AM on 06/29/2010

I like 'em fried in oyster po'boys. You ever try it that way?

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

10:22 AM on 06/29/2010

Never had 'em that way, but it sounds great. I will give it a try for sure, but I will have to tone down the heat for my Yankee palate. My heart is broken for the Gulf Coast.

[2question]

06:51 PM on 06/29/2010

Yes, actually. I used locally grown Olympias. They're the NW's frying oyster. It was delicious...

[sonoffestus]

09:08 PM on 06/28/2010

Lots of great oysters here in BC, wild and farmed. Try one with a splash of single malt whiskey on them, yum!

[GerryS]

09:20 PM on 06/28/2010

had not heard that one yet ;-)

sounds great----------

[sonoffestus]

10:48 PM on 06/28/2010

They're "wicked good". My brother in law, a founding member of a scotch club turned me onto it.

[FrTown]

08:57 AM on 06/29/2010

Sounds yummy. I think I'll flambé it too with a little brandy.

[GerryS]

09:05 PM on 06/28/2010

seattle, restaurants, fresh oysters,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, yum!!

[MurCal]

07:31 PM on 06/28/2010

The best oysters in the world are from Apalachicola, Florida, but they are days away from being covered in crude oil. We will all be eating more west cost oysters before this is over. Unless of course, one of the offshore rigs in California breaks up too.

[silencedogooder]

07:04 PM on 06/28/2010

east coast! i live on an inlet in VA off of the Chesapeake Bay and we're working so hard to rebuild the ecosystem in our neighborhood for oysters, and it's paying off, they're delicious this year!

[FrTown]

08:58 AM on 06/29/2010

I live there too. Where do you buy your oysters? Because I haven't ventured outside Whole Foods.