I had the pleasure of shucking some beauties today! Shucked some Copps Island and Salt Nugget. All surprised me with their meat content -- very full and healthy!
These Connecticut oysters can sell themselves. This particular harvester moves these oysters multiple times to avoid overcrowding on the beds and in turn, avoids a lot of the misshapen shells that can be typically found in Long Island Sound. The result of this process is a very consistent, large and thick shell full of meat! They were a very easy shuck as the hinge was very pronounced and the flavor included a mild saltiness with a clean finish.
See Copps Island Oysterology here.
I figured we better shuck some West Coast oyster since there's a lack of East, so I went with the Salt Nuggets because the shells looked pretty interesting. Very pretty with a ridged top shell and pretty consistent in shape. The shell was a little thin, but I was still able to handle it with some force and not break it. The meat filled the shell, but it was a little translucent. Flavor was awesome… Very sweet, fruity taste with just a hint of salt in the background.
See Salt Nugget Oysterlogy® here.
