A summer oyster adventure in Australia

Oysters are best in the fall and early winter. But I travel to Australia during their scorch hot summer, which is why the oysters are smaller than what it should be, and there are a few that I had to split out.  After tasting about 12 dozens oyster between three of us, I am not a big fan of Australia oyster, they are too salty for my liking. 

When I was younger, I would splurge down oysters like a shot. Because oysters suppose to be good but they sometimes taste yucky. I now know that oysters are meant to be savored and enjoyed. A good oyster will have a delicate, clean taste and leave no pungent or yucky aftertaste. It is not recommended to eat a lot of local (Malaysia) oysters as our waters are quite polluted. If we learn to take care of our waters, we too can have fresh oysters on food trucks. 

I started with Sydney rock (AUD 1.70).  It will rock your world because it tastes like rust metal. One bite is more than enough for me. You would enjoy if you like metallic tuna or some fancy liquid metal in your mouth. Try it but don't buy a dozen like us.

Coffin bay (AUD 2.50). Read so many good reviews about tasting coffin bay oysters in Victoria Queen Market but I can say that it's a sore disappointment in summer. We bought a dozen, and half of them taste like poo.

Coffin Bay, Mud Bay & Little Swanport

Oysters can't be fresher than fresh from the farm, so I find my way to the Barilla Bay Oyster Farm for oysters (AUD 20 a dozen for eat-in) and sea urchin (AUD 40). A slight disappointment on the size. Still salty but acceptable and do not smell. The sea urchin, meh.

Ginger beer here is expensive at 8.5 AUD!

I try the famous Get shucked, Bruny Island oysters at the Tasman cruise cafe so they are at AUD26 a dozen. It is cute and fresh but still, nothing amazing.

The best three

Lease 65 or St Helens (AUD 1.50-2). Lease 65 is a farm at St Helens, you can find them with a sign "pacific oysters" on the roadside. I don't know if they the only oyster farmer there. They are one of the better oysters, good size, plump and less salty.

St Helens & Batemans

Little Swanport (AUD 2), as the name implies, these oysters are really tiny. Each only fills a quarter of my mouth. However, the palate is sweet, clean and chewy.

One of the largest oysters came from Batemans Bay (AUD 3.5). It's half a palm-size, very creamy with a light salt-ish taste. It is probably the best oysters I have on this trip to Melbourne and Tasmania.

I think a lot of us got caught up in getting the value dozen (my parents did) and do not appreciate that oysters, taste very different depending on the waters and farmer. The way to go is to buy one, taste and then get the dozen of your favorite. Personally, I prefer sweet and brine oysters (Japan Miyaki, Pasific Oysters) so I would probably not come back for these.