Oyster sommelier Virginia Shaffer’s 10 favorite Maine oysters right now
Oysters from Bombazine Oyster Company at the Maine Oyster Festival. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
Shaffer said her picks are based on what she’s enjoying most this summer. “Every oyster presents something different in every season, so my favorite oyster in winter will be different from my favorite oyster in summertime.”
Cora Cressy from Community Shellfish in Bremen. “The flavor is like salty, veggie matcha tea. It’s amazing.”
Wet Smack by Maine Ocean Farms in Freeport. “The most consistent, beautiful, eye-catching oyster I’ve ever seen.”
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Merritt Island Oysters in West Bath. “Pearly white oysters that taste like chicken noodle soup. They’re just incredible.”
Eros Oyster in Georgetown. “It’s the sweetest oyster in wintertime, but great all year-round.”
Spinney Creek Oysters in Eliot. “Twenty-year OGs down there making a gorgeous oyster: consistent, clean, super salty.”
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Derrick and Emily Stanley of Lewiston prepare to taste oysters from Eros at the Maine Oyster Festival. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
Bombazine Oyster Company in Brunswick. “Max (co-owner Max Burtis) is one brilliant mind. He’s out to create the most shuckable oyster in Maine. Every time we work with Bombazines, the shuckers are thrilled — the oysters open up so perfectly, meat-to-shell ratio is always high, flavor is always presenting well.”
Bar Harbor Blondes from Bar Harbor Oyster Co. “Whenever I see them, they are standout. Super briny.”
Pemaquid Oysters in Damariscotta. “It’s my favorite classic oyster. There is this dry, earthy aftertaste that dries out the mouth like tannins. That minerality just can’t be replicated.”
Johns River Oyster in South Bristol. “It’s the meatiest. They’re hearty and strong, creamy, sweet and nutty.”
Emily’s Oysters in Bath. “Emily’s has the most algal, vegetal, classic Casco Bay oyster flavor, and it’s always perfect.”
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Tim Cebula has been a food writer and editor for 23 years. A former correspondent for The Boston Globe food section, his work has appeared in Time, Health, Food & Wine, CNN.com, and Boston magazine,. More by Tim Cebula
