No, there does not have to be an ‘r’ in the month if you want to eat oysters. Irish rock oysters (Crassostrea gigas), also known as Pacific oysters, are available 52 weeks of the year, so these are the ones you will have been eating. There are many top producers in the country, including Kelly’s, Harty, Dooncastle and Flaggy Shore oysters.
The association with the ‘r’ in the month relates to the native flat oyster (Ostrea edulis). It is seasonal, as it spawns during the summer months in Irish waters. It is not available during this time, but is available from September to April. Rock oysters do not spawn in the cold waters around Ireland so are available all year round. They were introduced to the country in the 1970s when the natives were in decline due to overfishing and disease.
There’s quite a bit of difference between the two oysters. The native flat oyster, or Galway flat (which is the same species as the French Belon oyster) is a round, flat oyster, native to Europe. It takes five years to mature - twice as long as the tear-shaped rock oyster which is available year-round.
According to Michael Kelly of Kelly oysters, even though the natives and the rock oysters are grown in the same body of water, they taste quite different. The flat oyster, which grows wild, is lower down on the seabed and it feeds off the heavier phytoplankton. A mature oyster can filter up to 11 litres an hour. The rock oyster is further up the shore and feeds on a lighter, more delicate phytoplankton, so it has a lighter taste. The texture of the native oyster is very meaty and firm and it has a stronger, heavier, more metallic taste.
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Look out for native oysters coming on to menus in September, and do a taste test to compare the two species at somewhere special such as the Shelbourne. Add a glass of Champagne or chilled Chablis and you are in for a real treat.
