There’s something in the water down here in Tasmania, hidden in plain sight.
Beneath the star-studded sky of Tasmania’s east coast, I sit in a coastal paddock alongside a burning pile of logs and talk to the oyster in my hand. Its journey as a living, breathing, closed entity is about to end. Soon, it will cross over the proverbial pearly gates into its next life as a palate-shattering flavour sensation.
These oysters are world-leading, with flavour profiles that mirror the waterways in which they’re nurtured. Tasmania’s aquaculture industry produces more than 3 million dozen oysters across 44 growing operations each year. It’s a highly responsive and innovative industry because it’s had to be. In 2016, a Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome outbreak devastated the region, causing mass mortality and losses in excess of 5 million dozen oysters.
“Keep ’em deep,” Ian says. That’s the secret to their perfect finish, and to keeping them happy and healthy. “Well, I can’t really say ‘happy,’” he grins. “They don’t have a central nervous system.” “We’re growing a product that’s really healthy for everybody and the environment,” says Cassie. “The oysters are sequestering carbon filtering water; we don’t have to feed them. If they’re too small, they just go back and grow.”
If sticking around in the area, pull up at Swansea Beach Chalets for immaculate cabins and exemplary service. Studios from $160 a night. SeeJust 15 minutes out of downtown Hobart and five minutes from the airport’s landing strip, Barilla Bay Oysters offers serious bang for your buck. A dozen shucked oysters will set you back only $16. These milky, delicately flavoured oysters are the perfect eating size and hold up well to a slice of lemon or vinaigrette.
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