Let’s talk about oysters. The Native and Rock oysters to be exact from Maorach Beag, a small sustainable Scottish business cultivating oysters in Wester Ross, Scotland.

This small business is run by Iain Ross; not only is it a retail business but at its core, it’s about saving the Native Oyster.

REVIEW OF NATIVE OYSTER & SHELLFISH CO. FROM WESTER ROSS, SCOTLAND

WHY OYSTERS?

Oysters are Ecosystem Engineers. They support ecosystems by the way they grow. Oysters grow off of one another creating a hardy infrastructure on which other creatures can thrive, but they create natural coastal buffers along shorelines and reduce erosion from boat wakes, sea level rise, and storms. They are also one of the best water filters around, an adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, removing impurities, pollutants and specifically nitrogen. This is very important to a marine ecosystem, because excessive nitrogen triggers algal blooms that deplete the water of oxygen and create “dead zones.”

THE NATIVE OYSTER

The European Flat Oyster (Ostrea edulis) is the indigenous oyster of Europe, often called the Native oyster and is under threat. Iain, grows two types of oysters on his farm the Native European Flat oyster and the more common Rock / Pacific oyster. Both have their place - the Rock oyster being easier to grow and cultivate whilst the Native Oyster is very difficult to grow as they suffer high mortality and take twice as long as Rock oysters. Iain, hopes to grow small numbers of the Native oysters for the retail/table market but realises that its a very niche product.

There is a huge interest in Native Oyster restoration currently in Scotland and Iain has become deeply involved in restoration activities and is the key supplier to the Glenmorangie DEEP project. This project aims to restore a large Native oyster reef to the firth in front of the distillery which will improve the water quality by 95%. Could Glenmorangie whisky get even better??

Iain, very kindly sent me some of these Native and Rock oysters to try. I tried to do them justice so that I could taste the full impact of their flavour.

LOCH BEAG NATIVE OYSTER (EISEAR OIR)

These Scottish Native oysters are 100% sustainable, not fished or harvested from any wild beds and are not available between May and August as that is breeding season. The easiest way to remember this is - oysters are available in the months when there is an ‘R’ in the month!

The Native oyster is pear shaped and quite flat; and don’t give in easily to being prized open. Once open the shells inside are stunning, iridescent pearly tones sparkle. The oyster meat is absolutely beautiful with its pearly beige/creamy skirt. These beauts are famous the world over due to their unique taste, commonly known as the oyster connoisseur’s oyster of choice. They are small and so different from your average oyster. Your tastebuds will get smacked with a full on flavour of the sea. There’s no escaping from those briney mineral notes.

After cleaning them, I placed them on a bed of seaweed and served them simply with a slice of lemon. Good to try on their own but I felt that the lemon strangely added sweetness to the oyster and removed some of those copper flavours. Worth trying it both ways to see which you prefer.

LOCH BEAG ROCK OYSTER (EISEAR CLOICHE)

These are the rough guys of the sea. They’re rugged and robust, just like the Scottish coastline and are available all year round.

Gorgeous big oysters, with a deep cup, these creatures where easier to pry open to reveal large juicy plump meat.

Besides eating two as they were, I also tried them with two very popular garnishes. As these oysters are more hardy and not delicate like the Native oysters, I knew they could handle a variety of flavours.

My take on a Rockefeller Oyster with toasted breadcrumbs and tarragon; and Oysters Kilpatrick with Worcestershire Sauce and bacon.

Every which way, they were delicious.

DELIVERY AND PACKAGING

Maorach Beag partnered with Smurfit Kappa, to produce a delivery box that is made from 100% recyclable cardboard. The oysters are individually selected from the farm and then hand cleaned; packed inside a bag of seaweed and shipped to you within 24 hours. Remember that these are live creatures and you need to get them in the fridge as soon as you receive them.

Maorach Beag now has an online shop. Head over to www.scottishshellfishcompany.com/collections/all to check out availability and to place orders.