Celebrity chef and television host Andrew Zimmern says an oyster’s flavor is closely tied to where it grows. Speaking with Fox News Digital ahead of hosting the Oyster Bash at the New York City Wine & Food Festival in New York City, he said location, flavor and texture all matter when choosing oysters.
Zimmern compared oysters’ regional differences to those found in wine grapes. Water conditions, available food and the seafloor can affect a shellfish’s taste and appearance. He recalled sampling oysters harvested only a few hundred yards apart that had noticeably different flavors: one was sweet, while the other was more saline.
Those contrasts leave room for personal preference, Zimmern said. He favors oysters with a coppery quality, likening the taste to pennies and celery, along with enough saltiness to balance the flavor. He said he is especially fond of West Coast oysters, while noting that East Coast growers are producing oysters with similar profiles by choosing growing sites according to the food available in the water.
Zimmern does not consider raw preparation the only way to enjoy oysters. He said he is open to them raw, grilled, fried or baked, arguing that a flavorful oyster can work in different preparations.
As an example, he recalled visiting an oyster restaurant outside Houston where he found the raw oysters ordinary but thought the grilled versions were excellent. The cooked preparations included spinach, cheese, garlic, butter and hot sauce.
He also said fried oysters are among his favorites and that he makes oyster chowder regularly during the winter, sometimes nearly every other week. His comments present oyster selection as a matter of both origin and taste, with cooking style another opportunity to bring out flavors diners enjoy.
