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Oysters are like wine; specific to a region, influenced by the environment and ever changing.

With this in mind, I've been documenting my preferences for over a decade. 

To me, the perfect Pacific Northwest oyster is medium-sized, briny, firm, chilled and served raw, in the shell. 
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While I love mignonette and the occasional topping, the perfect oyster should stand alone.   

Premier Oysters and where to find them

  • Fjord Luxe: from Hamma Hamma. So good. Buttery, briny, sweet and light. Excellent.
  • Virginica sweet, mild/ very salty, can be very big. Really good.
  • Pacific/a: Puget Sound: big, very salty, briny, meaty, really good. 
  • Sun Seeker: Puget Sound, big, briny. Very good. Not sweet. 
  • Kumamoto: medium, salty, slightly sweet, very good. A favorite!
  • Dabob: from Hood Canal, medium size, briny, good, solid choice. 

Pretty Darn Good Oysters

  • Blue Pool: from Hamma Hamma, higher end. Briney, medium sized.
  • Shigoku: medium, sweet, very good, less salty. 
  • ​Fat Bastard is a larger Shigoku

I'd rather have oysters than not have oysters

  • Miyagi Pacific- New Zealand, small, grown in Tacoma, WA
  • Olympia: looks like a nickel, tastes like a penny, small, not briny, kind of boring. 
  • Seacow: simple, mild, not that briny, small/medium size
  • ​Shinsei: small, light, briny, pretty good
  • Baywater Sweet, Hood Canal, WA

Leave them in the ocean

  • Dana’s Passage: Mild, briny, creamy
  • Blue Point: east coast, big, not briny, meaty, gross
  • Any oysters that took a 747 to get onto your plate

Get your oyster fix!

To avoid watery shellfish and food poisoning, fresh oysters should be enjoyed during months ending with the letter “r” – that would be September- April.
​Here are a few of my favorite places to get oysters. Check websites before you go, to get reservations if needed, or to make sure they have your favorite.