Now that the weather is getting warmer and nicer heading into the summer, many outdoor clam bars are open again on the east end. A favorite of shellfish lovers is oysters. Amazingly enough, oysters appeared on the earth in the Triassic period when dinosaurs ruled the earth 200 million years ago. Archaeologists have found evidence that humans were eating oysters as far back as 164,000 years ago, eventually by roasting them over open fire, with some suggesting they let the shells pop to eat them.
As for me, it was my mom and dad who introduced me to oysters. Often, they would purchase oysters and steamers at Leno’s Clam Bar, in New Rochelle, NY. It was actually owned by Jay Leno’s uncle back then. Jay Leno often talks about his one summer working there in New Rochelle.
While east-end oysters do spawn themselves, the Town of East Hampton does deposit oysters on the bottom of the bay at a very juvenile stage. The town has a shellfish program handled by the East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery run by the East Hampton Town Trustees.
Noted Montauk lobsterman/fisherman and co-author of the Best Seller, Spec in the Sea, Anthony Sosinski is a shellfish expert. When contacted to contribute to this article, he said, “Oysters are a filter feeder that cleans the water. The oyster is native to Long Island. They help the water quality of the inner bays of Long Island. Most oysters today on Long Island are farm raised. The oyster tastes different depending on the salinity of the water. I believe the best-tasting farm-raised oyster comes from the Fish Farm in Amagansett. Those oysters are called “Promised land.”
John Nicholas, Founder of East Hampton Shucker Company, also contributed his expertise on east end oysters. He said in his opinion, “The most flavorful oysters are grown in shallower bay waters near land. They gain nutrients and minerals from the shoreline. Oysters grown in the middle of the bay or submerged have a different taste profile to oysters grown in the same bay near land. The top 18″ of bay water has the most nutrients for growing oysters. East End oysters have a favorable taste profile because of the proximity of the east end bay waters to the fresh Atlantic Ocean seawater. The closer the bay-grown oysters are located to the Atlantic Ocean flow, the brinier and clearer tasting the oyster.
Bayman Clint Bennett, owner of Bennett Shellfish in Montauk, explained that a bayman legally can harvest two bushels of oysters a day. Clint Bennett feels it shouldn’t be two bushels a day. He personally wishes it was one because he believes it depletes the available oysters quicker. He said, “I prefer they be there for us (baymen) for the future. I feel the oysters are really overfished to the point where they are getting really scarce.” He explained that oysters take four years to grow to the size that is needed. He said that, “harvesting two bushels a day may present a situation where there are not enough oysters being put in the water to sustain the livelihood of the baymen.”
When going to purchase oysters, Clint Bennett suggests, “One should look for a nice clean oyster that doesn’t have holes in it; you want a strong oyster where you just can’t crush the shell. He added, “Although all oysters are different, and there are so many different raised oysters, there are so many different colors, different types and different sizes and shapes it’s really hard to just say you might want a darker one.”
About the oysters Mr. Bennett chooses to harvest he said, “Mine are nice and round, they have nice thick shells, they have nice deep cups and of course they are all three inches because that’s the size they have to be by law.” Then he advised to always look for a nice 3-inch oyster with deep cups.
So how many oysters should one eat per day? Is there a safe limit? Clint Bennett was forthcoming by saying, “You can’t really pinpoint a number, I would say six a person while sitting at a table, although I know people who eat two dozen at once.”
According to our local east-end experts the best time of the year to harvest oysters is when the water is colder and when there are less pollutants in the water. Clint Bennett said, “Technically, it’s safe to eat oysters all year round because the baymen know where to get them safely at all times of the year.”
So how long can you keep oysters in the fridge before they go bad? Bennett says, “ In my opinion, four days, although some experts say up to nine days, but I don’t recommend that, I say four to five days tops.” He also said the best way in his opinion to eat an oyster is, “…Ice cold on ice, on the half shell, right out of the shell with no sauce.
Why no sauce? He said, “So that you can get to really taste the oyster.” He implied that he frowns on people who put vinegar, lemon, or cocktail sauces on oysters. Bennett said if you eat an oyster, “you should want to taste the salt, the freshness of the oyster.”
Lastly, on April 19, 2022, Medical News Today stated, “Oysters contain compounds that may improve sexual performance or desire, but science has not proven their effects. They are a rich source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. That helps regulate blood pressure and helps improve your blood circulation.”
