 |
  |
|||||||
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 During a recent lunch of baked oysters at Kingfisher Oceanside Resort near Courtenay, I was reminded where some of the world's plumpest and most delicious oysters are grown. They were so full and fresh-tasting I was convinced the chef harvested them himself. Not quite. The oysters did come from a nearby beach, but Fanny Bay Oysters Ltd., located on Baynes Sound, 20 kilometres away, did the harvesting. I wrote my very first food column on that company eight years ago. It seemed a good time to check in on this operation, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Sharon Hadden, Fanny Bay's general manager, says the shallow, nutrient-rich area of Baynes Sound is perfect for growing oysters."Phytoplankton (the abundant algae in the area) is the right size for them to eat -- the more they eat, the fatter they get," says Hadden, reminding me why their oysters are so robust. Hadden says they also benefit by having a very clean expanse of ocean to work with."The water quality standard is monitored by the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, and the standard for growing shellfish is actually 14 times the standard for public swimming," says Hadden. Feeling good about knowing I can safely swim and eat their oysters simultaneously, I also learned that, like farmers, Fanny Bay Oysters plant their seeds (microscopic animals that become oysters) every spring. Some are planted in pouches, where they attach to old shells and grow in clumps; some are planted directly on the beach; and some are planted in water-submerged baskets hanging from rafts that are later moved to the beach to mature. Fanny Bay Oysters ships fresh, whole oysters around the world. After a quick Internet search, I found them on menus from Toronto to Honolulu to Singapore. When I told Hadden how fresh he oysters I had eaten at the Kingfisher were, she dropped this bombshell, or should I say, oyster shell, on me: "They were probably our banquet oysters," says Hadden, referring to the frozen "in the half shell" product they also ship globally. I was shocked: how could my taste buds be so wrong? But Hadden quickly made me realize oysters in this form can taste as fresh or even fresher then ones you buy and shuck yourself. "The capability to freeze oysters was one of the main reasons we built the new plant," says Hadden of their ultra-modern, 17,000-square-foot facility that houses a freezer I would not want to fall into.
Oysters, harvested in the morning, whole or top shell removed, pass through a 30-foot tunnel freezer set at a chilly -40 C, where they freeze solid in four minutes or less. "Freeze something that quickly and it protects its cell structure -- they don't break down and go to mush like they would in a home freezer," says Hadden. Fanny Bay Oysters also sells shucked oysters in tubs, which are delicious for pan-frying, deep-frying or using in stews, soups and casseroles. They also sell smoked oysters, which are dry-packed (no oil) in cans.
You can buy their oysters at many seafood markets and grocery stores and at their retail store, 1 - 6856 South Island Hwy. (19A), Buckley Bay, situated beside the Denman Island ferry terminal not far from their processing plant. You can also buy their smoked oysters online at www.fannybayoysters.com. Hadden says their fresh products should also be available to order online in the not too distant future. In honour of their 20th anniversary, the company held a recipe contest. The top picks became part of a self-published cookbook. You can buy it online or at their retail store for $14.95. Get a taste of what's in the book by checking the recipes. Eric Akis's columns appear in the Life section Wednesdays and Sundays. The author of the best-selling Everyone Can Cook and Everyone Can Cook Seafood (Whitecap Books) can be reached at ericakis@shaw.ca © Times Colonist (Victoria) 2005 |
|||||||
|
Fanny
Bay Oysters 2004 | All Rights Reserved |
