Return to Mike Sula's cover story, "The Oyster Whisperer"

EVER HEAR THE word Ostracized? In very ancient Roman times, in order to banish one from a Kingdom, the village elders would vote. Their ballots consisted of oyster shells- cup up meant you could stay in town. Cup down……. See ya!

Earliest form of Money- American Indians used to use oyster shells from tiny Olympia oysters on the West Coast as currency. The bigger the shell, the more it was worth. The oyster was considered the “Dollar Bill,” if you will. “Pocket Change” was derived from clams and mussels.

How long to grow? A Pacific oyster takes two years to reach market size of 2 1/2-3 inches. Kumamotos take about five years. Olympias take at least four years to reach just a single inch. Belons, depending on the location can take over five years. Atlantic oysters grow more slowly and take on average 6-7 years. Warm-water oysters from the Gulf of Mexico can reach four inches in less than nine months.

How long can an oyster live? 20-30 years, depending on the species, sometimes longer depending on the Body of Water and the algae it consumes. I have a picture me holding a Kumamoto over 40 years old, weighing in at over fifteen pounds- it’s used exclusively for stock- an oyster “Stud,” for lack of better term.

How do oysters reproduce? Oysters are Hermaphrodites, meaning they “switch” between male and female over the course of their life. They mostly start as males, and can switch a number of times, depending on what is needed. The males “spawn” when the water reaches a certain temperature, usually above 68°-70°, depending on the species. Females generally spawn when the water is just a tad less warm than the males. A male discharges about 50 million sperm a “pop,” with the female slightly higher in the number of eggs. In the wild, the rate of survival for an oyster to reach an inch is about one in 25,000 fertilized eggs.

Can you tell an oyster’s sex when it’s on the 1/2-shell? I can, but you’ll rarely meet someone who can in a Restaurant. Shellfish biologists will look at the number of gill flaps as an indication, but it’s pretty hard without a magnifying glass.

How do oysters eat? Oysters are Filter Feeders, meaning they pump water through their body by opening and closing their shell. A mature oyster can filter over fifty gallons of water a day. This is what creates the difference in flavor and finish- the algae an oyster filters will have a lot to do with this, as will the depth it’s grown as well as the amount of salt in the water it filters.

What is the smallest oyster? Olympia oysters are the smallest, growing to little over 1¼ inch in about 4-5 years. Olympias are only found on the West Coast if the United States, typically in the Pacific Northwest. It is the only indigenous oyster to our West Coast, with the remainder being imported from Japan.

Where are the most oysters produced? In the United States, Washington State. In Canada, Prince Edward Island. Interestingly enough, if the water in Prince Edward Island was the same salinity and temperature, it could produce over ten times the amount farmed in Washington.

What’s a “Blue Point?” Any oyster from the Eastern United States can be called a Blue Point. It’s a very generic term and can cover anything from the Gulf of Maine to Eastern Central America, which is why I prefer never to use the term- almost like “Ahi” with tuna. Similarly, any oyster from Prince Edward Island can be called a Malpeque. Currently, there are over a hundred growers on Prince Edward Island and over a thousand on the East Coast of the United States. If someone asks for a Blue Point, a seasoned Server will ask them which type they like, since we usually have about half a dozen East Coast oysters.

What about Pearls? The pearl is farmed, usually in the South China Sea, but not from an oyster we consume. It’s a completely different species called the Rock Oyster, Crassostrea Malagrina, and is only farmed for pearl-culturing purposes. A 1/4” pearl takes almost ten years to grow in nature, but in a controlled environment can be accomplished in about a third of the time. Pearls do occur in Nature, but are extremely rare in the cold water oysters we consume- I’ve opened well over 825,000 oysters and I’ve found only three (one just several days ago). A pearl starts out as a grain of sand that gets trapped inside the oyster, usually on the East Coast and gets covered in calcium as a defense mechanism. Ever heard the term “Mother-of-Pearl?” Basically the same thing- it’s the inner lining of the oyster shell.

Oyster Museum? Only one exists in the World- it’s on Chincoteague Island, Virginia. On a side note, about half the people living in the United States live within a 500 mile radius of this museum. Coincidence? I think not…

Thinking of Names for your Babies? Baby goats are called Kids; a baby eel is called an Elver; a baby oyster is called a Spat. Who comes up with this stuff?

World Records? Yes, there are actually some out there:

The most oysters opened in under a minute is held by my good friend Patrick MacMurray or Toronto, Canada. Patrick opened 34 choice oysters in sixty seconds. The oysters he was using were Aspy Bays, which are great to open for speed given their nice deep-cupped shells for ease of opening. Patrick is also a World Champion, taking first at the World Cup in Ireland in 2002. Numerous attempts have been made at the record, one of the closest being by Mark Mavrantonis of Chicago, Illinois- falling short at only 32- the oyster knife was inside the thirty third, but the top muscle was not cut all the way through so it didn’t count.

The record for the most Oysters Opened in a Single Day is held by Mark Mavrantonis of Chicago, Illinois. Mark’s Team of four opened 16,775 oysters in an afternoon at the 2003 Annual Guinness Oysterfest. Of all the Guinness Oyster Festivals in the World (over a hundred), more are opened in Chicago, of all places. Even the World Cup in Ireland only consumes 11,000 at most, and the Festival lasts five days and nights. Mark opened over four thousand oysters and was unable to move his left arm for almost three days.

Read Mike Sula's cover story on Mark Mavrantonis

Jim Newberry

Last year, champion eater Sonya Thomas of Virginia doubled the existing Oyster Eating Record by eating a whopping 432 oysters. Thomas, who weighs in at only 105 pounds, goes by the nickname, “The Black Widow.” On her website, Thomas said she chose that name out of her “desire to eliminate the males” in competitive eating. She credits her “good appetite, an active metabolism and a burning desire to win” for her success. Thomas also holds the records for grilled cheese sandwiches (25 in 10 minutes) and lobster (38 in 12 minutes). In 2003, Thomas earned more than $40,000 in prize money. Sonya has never attempted to open an oyster. And until she learned about the contest in Louisiana, never knew they came in shells and had to be shucked. She is currently planning on traveling to Coney Island New York for the World-Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest…

Send a letter to the editor.