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In France, oysters has been beloved for thousands of years and today, the french continue to indulge in these salty briny treasures from the sea. With coast lines along the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, France produces 2 main categories of edible oysters, plate and creuse.
Huîtres Plate - Ostrea Edulis
These French flat oysters grows along the Arcachon Basin, in the Rhone Delta and in Brittany. The most famous species is from the Belon river, where it gets its name . It is appreciated for its firm flesh, high iodine taste and slight nutty flavour. Sizes are ranged from '0000' to '6', with '0000' being the largest. A size '3 ' would weigh around 50g while a size '00' would be double the weight.
Huîtres Creuse - Crassostrea Gigas
The Pacific oyster is an oyster native to the Pacific Coast of Asia. It was introduced in France around 1966, after the local species were decimated. It is originally from Japan and sizes are ranged from '0' to '5', with '0' weighing above 150g and '5' from 30-45g per oyster.
With a consistent flesh, the creuse oyster from Cancale has all the typical characteristics of an oyster from the bay of Mont Saint-Michel; a strong taste of iodine that lingers on the palette. It is the perfect addition to a seafood platter and lends itself well to a variety of recipes. Whether grilled, roasted, cooked in champagne... there are many different ways to enjoy it. This variety can be found all around the world. Their flavours and firmness will depend on the water they grow in, the nutriment, salinity and temperature.
One famous oyster from this region of the world is the Fine de Claire - Marenne-Pleron. These oysters are finished in 'Claire' (a shallow pond) for a minimum of one month, during which they fatten and take on a sweeter, fruitier flavour from the water and phytoplankton in the pond.
