Around 35.5 million pounds of oysters are harvested and consumed annually in the United States, making the oyster one of the most popular seafood choices in the nation.
When it comes to oysters, the United States is pretty self-sufficient, having a huge diversity of climates and merroirs (the terroir of oysters). To quote M.F.K. Fisher, “American oysters differ as much as American people.”
In the Pacific Northwest, in the pristine waters of Sequim Bay, Washington, just outside the Puget Sound, a partnership between the S’Kallem tribe and Jamestown Seafood is producing mineral-rich, briny, and succulent oysters. The farm is nestled in a bay on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, fed by creeks carrying the icy clear snow melt from Mt. Olympia.
In the Northeast, there are the crisp, deep-cupped Glidden Point oysters from Maine’s cold Damariscotta River. Heading south to the clean, bracing waters of South Carolina’s Low Country, you’ll find the Single Lady Oysters, smooth and briny with a sweet clean finish. And California has the renowned Hog Islands.
But oysters have a history that long predates the United States and a fan base spanning the globe. Here are five locations outside the U.S. that carry heavy-hitting reputations for their merroir and have earned their own international acclaim – with recipes to match.
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