About Oysters

The United States contains many oyster species.

The most readily available oysters in the mid-Atlantic area are Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, Blue Points and Chincoteagues.

1. Crassostrea virginica (East Coast) Ranges from Nova Scotia to South America. Varieties include Malpeques, Well Fleet, Blue Points, Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Chincoteagues, Apalachicola Bay and Gulf Coast.

Taste: East Coast oysters range from lightly salty to sharp salt flavor (Chesapeake, Delaware and Gulf Coast oysters have a light salt taste; all others have a sharper salty taste.)

2. Crassostrea gigas (Pacific Oysters) Varieties: Fanny Bay, Totten Inlet, Hog Island. Sweet water flavor and milky taste

3. Ostrea Conchapila (Olympia Oysters): Small in size They are the only native oyster to the west coast. These oysters are cultivated mostly in British Columbia and Puget Sound, Washington. Sweet, coppery and metallic in flavor.

4. Crassostrea sikamea (Kumamoto Oysters): Small in size. Are grown on the U.S. West Coast and in Japan. Small and sweet with an almost nutty flavor.

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