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Sol Azul Oysters

We are now sourcing Sol Azul (Crassostrea gigas) oyters from the waters of Sebastian Vizcaino Bay, which is located within the reaches of Baja California Sur, Mexico.  More specifically, these oysters are harvested from the region known as Estero El Cardon, which lies within the boundaries of the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve.  Now then, I suspect many of you hear “Baja”, and immediately assume all of the land mass is surrounded by warm, tropical waters.  Au contraire, mon frere!  The Gulf of California waters which feed Estero El Cardon are cooler than you might imagine.  In fact, during the height summer, temperatures in Estero El Cardon peak out in the low to mid 60-degree range.  Sounds vaguely reminiscent of our local Gulf of Maine waters, which only the bold, clinically insane, or those under 10 years of age are truly capable of enjoying.  At any rate…The waters of Estero el Cardon possess a remarkably high salinity level, hovering around 38-39 parts per thousand (ppt).  Jut to put things in relative terms; the Earth’s Oceans have an average salinity of 35 ppt, with the waters of the Atlantic having a slightly higher salinity than those of the Pacific.  This high salinity shines through the complex flavors inherent to Pacific oysters, and brings a whole new depth and dimension to the Sol Azuls.  You may recall my bias towards oysters from the North Atlantic (Crassostrea virginica), but it warrants mention that I have been most impressed with the Sol Azuls.  I’m quite certain it has something to do with the hypersalinity of the waters.  As with other Pacific varieties, there are undeniable metallic overtones to the layers of flavors, and the abundant brine juxtaposes these.  Meats are full, and are what I would consider to be more firm than silky.  Size wise, the Sol Azuls are coming in at roughly three inches apiece, and the shells are both deeply fluted and pear shaped.  A deep cup cradles the meats, and serves as natures perfect vessel for the liquor.  I try not to get too caught up in aesthetics, but the Sol Azuls do deserve a little acknowledgement…The shells are exceptionally clean, and are graced with splashes of purple, green, and black.  As far as Pacific varieties go, I would say that the Sol Azuls are more analogous to our popular Rocky Pass than others.  As an aside…Harvesting of the Rocky Pass oysters has just resumed, and we generally bring these in from Alaska once a week.  More on (Hey!  Who you callin’ moron?) the Rocky Pass oysters in the not too distant future…Now then…The Sol Azuls are all farm raised, and are grown out in pouches which are tethered to racks that are moored to the sandy bottom of the bay.  This process is not entirely dissimilar to the method of employing tables and ADPI bags, which is so prevalent in premier North Atlantic and European aquaculture operations.  Ultimately, the racks keep the Sol Azuls up in the water column, and by suspending the oysters off of the bottom of the Bay; bio-fouling is kept to a minimum.  The Sol Azuls are grown out in the inter-tidal zone of the Bay, which may hardly seem newsworthy, but this placement is anything but arbitrary.  You see, when the tides recede twice daily, the Sol Azuls are exposed to the air.  Yeah, great…So what James?  Well, when removed from the water, an oyster’s natural reaction is to close its valves (shells) together, thereby retaining the life giving brine.  Doing this twice daily throughout their life conditions and strengthens the oyster’s adductor muscles, which ultimately helps the oysters retain their liquor on their trip to the plate.  Pretty cool, eh?  Sol Azuls are available in 100 count units, and a pre-order is required. 

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