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Here’s how to savour that oyster you’re eating, in six sensory stages.
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
1. THE BOUQUET. Just as you do with a glass of wine, begin by inhaling the aroma of the oyster. That olfactory hit is your introduction to the flavours that make the oyster unique.
2. THE LIQUEUR. Sipping the ‘juice’ in which the oyster sits can tell you a
lot about where it’s from. In fact, this is where you get your first hits of salinity, minerality and earthiness. Oysters from rocky coastal areas, for instance, have a more mineral flavour.
3. THE FRONT. With the oyster in your mouth, focus on the taste with the tip of your tongue. This introduces you to the initial flavour, which may then change as you eat it.
4. THE BODY. As you chew the actual oyster itself, concentrate on the texture as well as the flavour. Is it rich and buttery? Salty and snappy? Chewing also brings out an oyster’s sweetness.
5. THE FINISH. Oysters linger on the palate longer than a lot of foods. The finish is often when you taste the oyster’s umami, that undercurrent of savoury flavour.
6. THE PAIRING. An oyster matched with the right wine or beer is like a perfect marriage. Stick with a light- bodied dry white, such as steel-aged pinot grigio or a Loire Valley muscadet (which many have called the perfect wine for oysters). For beer, think a saison ale, a session beer, a very light IPA or another low-alcohol brew that won’t overpower.
Oh, and it’s probably best to put away that cocktail sauce. The sweetness and strong horseradish flavour of cocktail sauce obliterate the taste of raw oysters. Rather, try a mignonette, a thin sauce typically made from shallots, cracked black pepper and champagne vinegar. With oysters, you want to accentuate, not overpower their freshness.
Australia
If you’re in South Australia, be sure to take time out to try the freshly shucked Coffin Bay oysters, straight from the sea.
(1802 Oyster Bar & Bistro, 61 Esplanade, Coffin Bay; +61 8 86854626; 1802oysterbar.com.au)
New Zealand
Bluff oysters in New Zealand are said to be the most flavoursome, because they are grown in the cold, clean waters of Foveaux Strait till they are plump and juicy. Pick them fresh in season at the Four Square Supermarket in Gore Street.
(Four Square, 54 Gore Street, Bluff 9814, 03 212 8179, foursquare.co.nz)
Japan
Nobody serves more oysters on Miyajima island than the stylish Kaki- ya. Each oyster is inspected carefully after it comes off the flames by the grill master. Ask for the ‘Kaki-ya teishoku’ set meal that isn’t on the menu.
(Kaki-ya, 539 Miyajimacho, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima-ken, +81 829-44-2747, kaki-ya.jp)
ENDLESS VACATION 9