What the Shuck? Oysters & Bubbly!

Rob "Effing Oyster" Tryon, Thomas Robertshaw & David McCallum (The Shuckers!)


 This is the second event I've had the pleasure of attending at Lucky's Liquor Store, the first one being the Food Bloggers Soiree. To keep in the loop about events and classes be sure to check out Lucky's Liquor Facebook Page for up-coming events.

 Classes and events are held up on the beautiful mezzanine overlooking the liquor store floor (so take a class and grab a nice bottle of wine for home!). I love this mezzanine, it's perfect for these types of events with the large island table where people can gather around and watch the magic in the kitchen happen. This was the first raw oyster and champagne party, but hopefully there will be many more to come! 

Lucky's Liquor Store mezzanine
  As we entered the mezzanine people were watching the shuckers do their thing, preparing the first round of delicious raw oysters from Vancouver Island waters. 9 different types were served:


Sawmill Bay Shellfish: from the glacier-fed waters off Read Island (near Campbell River) oysters, clams, mussels and scallops are delivered locally within 24 hours of harvesting.

Hollie Wood Oysters:  Located near Denman Island we tried out the zen and the satori oysters. These are tray grown. The satori has a slightly briny taste with a cucumber finish, while the zen was more sweet and creamy. 

biggest oyster I've ever seen
Evening Cove Oysters: These oysters are grown near Ladysmith and are available year round, these are beach grown so they tend to have harder shells. These oysters were the most mild out of all we tried, but they finish with the sweetest aftertaste.

Komo Gway Oysters: Grown in Baynes Sound, near Comox. These proprietary beach grown oysters have are rough-shelled with a firm ivory meat and a fresh briny finish.

Pearl Bay Oysters:  These oysters are suspended from long lines in the deep cold waters off Sykes Island, near Fanny Bay. They had a more delicate meat and shell. Cucumber flavour with a crisp brine and sweet finish. 

 Little Wing from Okeover Inlet: Grown near the surface and matured on the beach giving a sweet, well balanced oyster in a distinctive deep shell with a pleasant, fresh aftertaste. Available through Albion Fisheries and The Lobster Man. 

 Effingham Inlet Oysters: cultured in the pristine waters of Effingham Inlet, in Barkley Sound. Two different kinds were served the Effingham Inlet Oysters which are tumbled and suspended from rafts in nutrient rich water. The little sister to the Effingham oyster is the Pacific Rim Petite.

 
Map of where each oyster is grown
   Rob Effing Oyster Tryon encouraged everyone to try the oysters sans flavouring, so we could really get the tastes, flavours, and textures of each different one. Some were more briney, some more creamy, and some more cucumbery (is that a word?). All were delicious. There was homemade cocktail sauce with a kick, lemon, horseradish, hot sauce and a mignonette all made by Jodie Robertshaw. She was also the lovely host and was serving up the 3 different types of champagne to accompany the oysters. One of them was a Vancouver Island sparkle from the Rocky Creek Winery, in the Cowichan Valley. 

Katherine's Sparkle from Rocky Creek

  It was crisp and light, complementing the oysters perfectly! 

 Aside from the plethora of knowledge I gained, the delicious oysters and the wonderful champagne - it was also a great networking event! Even the Nanaimo blues-rock man David Gogo came to partake in the festivities! 

Thank you to Lucky's Liquor for putting on a great local event highlighting local food and drink. Big thanks to Thomas Robertshaw, Rob Tryon and David McCallum for shucking it up for everyone, and to Jodie Robertshaw for being a wonderful host. It was a truly enjoyable evening! Cheers






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