Food Writer and Oyster Expert
Jacobsen has made the world his oyster by traveling up and down the coasts of North America sampling every variety between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico. He is the author of A Geography of Oysters, a definitive history and guide to the bivalve in North America. Here, he shares the raw truth about his favorite subject.
What should an oyster taste like?
Like the sea. Like your most vibrant childhood memory of waves crashing on the rocks at the coast on a blustery fall day. Or, to quote the French poet Léon-Paul Fargue, “Like kissing the sea on the lips.”
Are oysters considered a sustainable and green food?
By all means. Oyster farms are beneficial to estuaries, and oysters eat algae, which helps clear the water. Also, shell beds provide a habitat for many small species. Oysters are considered a keystone species.
What should one look for when buying oysters?
Oysters in a shop should have their shells tightly closed. They should feel heavy for their size, like fruit. Avoid any that sound hollow when tapped. By law, there must be a tag displaying when the oysters were harvested. Ask to see it. Look for oysters that have been out of the water less than a week. In a restaurant, they will come already shucked, so you can’t tell as much, but they should smell fresh and tasty. If they don’t, don’t eat them.
Is it true that one should only eat oysters in months that contain the letter r?
Today, with farmed oysters and monitoring for pathogens, you can eat oysters year-round—but they still taste best in fall and winter.
Eating raw oysters on the half shell can be difficult without appearing awkward. How does one maintain a sense of decorum and grace?
You have to proceed with confidence and make carnality an asset. Think like a predator. Grab the shell, raise it to your lips, tilt your head back, slurp the oyster in, and give a few chews to release full flavor. The little cocktail forks are a disaster; save them for the Vienna sausages.