Alaskan oysters are the best and Perry Island has got them for
sale. We called up ‘Royal Wave One’ on the VHF last week and picked up a few
dozen oysters to make my favorite oyster stew. Growing up on the Oregon coast
our Dad would take us to the historic Oyster Bar in the old part of Portland. I
would always order the oyster stew. Having acquired a taste for oysters at a
young age, I enjoy sampling oysters everywhere I travel. The next best oysters
to the Alaskan oysters, that I’ve tasted, are the Knysna oyster in South
Africa. In Knysna we rented an oyster boat and sampled 6 different types of
oysters grown in that area, while driving around the oyster farms in the Knysna
lagoon. There we found an oyster very much like the Alaskan oysters except with
the warm waters of the Indian ocean they would go into spawning cycle later in
the summer. Just like oysters from the lower 48, when they go into the spawn,
their flesh turns white and fluffy and tastes like an old dish rag. Anyone
trying oysters for the first time slurps down one of these spawning oysters,
they will swear off oysters for ever – yuck! Unfortunately most the upscale
restaurants in Alaska serve lower 48 oysters, even when they’re spawning. When
I order oysters, I always ask if they are Alaskan. Most will tell you if they
are. But beware, I have been told they were Alaskan and was then served spawning
oysters in Anchorage and Seward. Alaskan oysters don’t spawn as a result of the
cold water, so if you get spawned oysters, send them back. Restaurants should
tell you where their seafood comes from, especially shellfish. Of all the
restaurants that I have sampled oysters at, only one did the waiter tell us
that it wasn’t a good time to order the oysters because they were spawning. That
was at a restaurant on the Victoria Waterfront in Cape Town Harbor, South
Africa called Quay Four. I was shocked and impressed, never had a waiter ever
warned me of the quality of their oysters. However, you don’t have to travel
around the world to get the best oysters - just to Perry Island in Prince William
Sound. Give them a call on Channel 16 on the VHF. There call sign is ‘Royal
Wave One’ and they will meet you at the oyster barge. The couple working the
farm this year has brought the quality of the oysters up - we noticed the
oysters are much cleaner than before. Remember to bring cash. Enjoy!
Matt
