BLOG.Notes from the Field

We are so lucky to welcome aquaculturist and restaurateur Luc Chamberland to SHED on Sunday, Jan. 12. A former abalone farmer who worked at the famed Manka’s in Inverness before leaving to manage Hog Island’s oyster bar at the SF Ferry Building and opening Pat Kuleto’s Nick’s Cove restaurant on Tomales Bay, Luc is the owner of the Saltwater Oyster Depot, opened in 2012 as a crowd-funded eatery. Yes, he’s been a busy man.

But this busy man is taking time from his busy schedule to spend a few hours with our community to discuss the role the oyster plays in ensuring the health of Tomales Bay, among other watersheds, as well as educating us on the finer points of oyster production and, hooray!, its heady consumption.

Farmed shellfish can be consumed at any time of the year, not just those months without an ‘r’ in their name. That old wive’s tale might be a good caution were one harvesting wild shellfish that is not tended, but it is without merit when the oyster beds, the clam fields, and the mussel shoals are overseen by an aquaculturist who checks the water’s bacterial level regularly.

That said, North Bay waters are in an unusual state at this very moment with a Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) alert out for all shellfish, farmed or otherwise. Tomales and Monterey bays are the only ones currently affected.

According to Luc, this hasn’t happened in 30 years. “It’s completely natural,” he assures. “It’s based on tide, salinity, and weather patterns.” But occuring as it has over the recent holidays, area shellfish farmers have been sent scrambling, sourcing out-of-state bivalves for their customers during their busiest time of the year. If the alert doesn’t subside by Jan. 12, Luc will bring oysters from Morro Bay and Carlsbad with him to share; if it does, expect to enjoy healthy, delicious oysters from Hog Island and Drake’s Bay.

Oysters taste differently at different times of the year, depending on the heat or cool of the day and where they are in their maturation process. Typically, winter oysters are sweeter and more mild as the rains thin the bay’s salinity. But this winter remains special with our current drought. Luc will share his wisdom about choosing your own oysters as well as teach us how to shuck and prep them. He lists: “Where can you buy oysters that are fresh, how can you trust that they’re fresh, and what can you do to preserve the product’s integrity?” Paramount here is the tag attached to the bag of shellfish at the market. Luc will teach us how to read it and what to look for as well as how to store and handle the oysters once you get them home. He’ll also come prepared with a nice list of easy mignonettes you can prepare yourself.

Of course there will be wine for those so inclined. By absolutely no surprise at all, we also have a terrific selection of oyster knives and gloves for sale in our retail outlet as well as copies of Gwendolyn Meyer’s excellent book, Oyster Culture, sold out at Amazon but plentiful with us.

Please join us at SHED for a relaxed and educational afternoon on Sunday, Jan. 12, from 1pm with Luc Chamberland. Cost is $35 without wine pairings; $50 with. We spell that: f-u-n.