Oyster stew canned

Learn the differences between oyster stew canned—from European flats to Pacifics—with this guide to oyster varieties. Hi, I thought you might like this article from The Spruce Eats: Guide to Oysters.

An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients. A person used to be able to simply order a dozen oysters. There are just five species of oysters harvested in the U. Pacific oysters are small and sweet and the world’s most cultivated oyster.

They are growing in popularity in both Europe and the West Coast, where they are starting to over-run the native Olympia. Pacific oysters used to be used to describe all small Pacific oysters like Kumamotos and Miyagis. Kumamotos, however, were found to be their own species. Pacifics are usually named after where they are grown, such as Totten Inlet and Fanny Bay, but some are trade names such as the justly well-known Sweetwater oyster from Hog Island Oyster Company. Kumamotos are small, sweet, almost nutty oysters characterized by their deep, almost bowl-shaped shell. Like Pacifics, they have deeply fluted, sharp, pointy shells. They spawn later and in warmer water than other oysters, so they remain firm and sweet well into summer months.

Kumamotos are widely cultivated in Japan and the West Coast. Kumamotos used to be lumped in with Pacific oysters, but it ends up they are their own species. True bluepoints are raised in Long Island’s Great South Bay where they were first found. Today, “bluepoint oyster” is often used as a general term for any Atlantic oyster served on the half-shell, i. Wellfleet oysters are grown in Wellfleet Harbor in the northeastern part of Cape Cod.

Enthusiasts correctly detect many differences between oysters grown in different parts of the harbor. European flats are often called Belons. Belons must be grown in the Brittany region of France. Once the most common oyster in Europe, Europeans are increasingly appreciative of Pacific oysters while Maine and Washington state oyster farms are increasingly charmed by European flats. European flats are characterized by their smooth flat shell and lovely seaweed and sharp mineral taste. They have a meaty texture and, for those used to different kinds of oysters, almost a crunch to them.

Continue to 5 of 5 below. Olympias make the tiny Kumamotos look like giants, often coming in about the size of a quarter. They are the only oyster native to the West Coast of the U. Their popularity in San Francisco during the Gold Rush almost wiped them out, and they were believed to be extinct for decades. Wild populations still exist and are strictly protected. Olympias are sweet, coppery, and metallic. Get daily tips and expert advice to help you take your cooking skills to the next level.

Some types of pearl oysters are harvested for the pearl produced within the mantle. True oysters are members of the family Ostreidae. Almost all shell-bearing mollusks can secrete pearls, yet most are not very valuable. Pearls can form in both saltwater and freshwater environments. The largest pearl-bearing oyster is the marine Pinctada maxima, which is roughly the size of a dinner plate. Not all individual oysters produce pearls naturally.