Bluff oysters

The oyster season has arrived and our fat succulent Bluff oysters are currently fetching around $NZ18 a dozen. At $1.50 a tempting bite, that's hardly everyday fare, particularly when there are two oyster lovers at the table. Still, a couple of takeaway curries and trimmings from our local shop cost about $36, oysters settle back into perspective.

Oystering in New Zealand first began commercially at our southernmost island Stewart Island in the 1860s. Coastal cutters were simply beached on the beds at high tide and the oysters shovelled aboard as the tide dropped. The catch was transported in the shell to the mainland and right from the outset demand was so high that within a few years the beds were exhausted. Depleting beds caused the closure of the harvesting in 1877. In 1879 new larger beds were discovered in deeper water and the centre of activity gradually shifted from Stewart Island to Bluff, according to http://www.bluff.co.nz/oystering.html

Although commonly known as the Bluff oyster, it is known by others names, including mud oyster, flat oyster, dredge oyster, Foveaux Strait oyster and deep water oyster.The species is actually found throughout New Zealand, but is most common in the south.

The annual season is awaited with lip-smacking expectation and kicks off with a local oyster festival, http://www.bluffoysterfest.co.nz/ held this past weekend. Of course it features oyster opening and eating contest and chefs doing their imaginative best with the bivalve. There have been numerous newspaper articles and TV clips on people slurping their way through the catch.

I see a group of fishermen want EU officials to declare one of Britain's most famous oysters a protected species. Oyster growers on Mersea Island, Essex, want the "Colchester Native" to be granted a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). It seems people have been collecting oysters from other parts and then moving them to the creeks around Colchester to grow. The waters around the garrison town are rich in nutrients which makes them ideal for oyster growing. I can imagine the uproar here if less succulent oysters were passed off as Bluff oysters. While other oyster species are available here, the Bluff oysters are the most coveted - and most expensive. But the $18-$19 at the fishmongers pales by comparison to what some London restaurants charge for Colchesters - £30 a dozen - around $90 in my currency. No thank you.

When it comes to oysters, I like mine raw with just a little seasoning to jazz things up. If I were going to serve anything with them, I think my choice would be little triangular cream cheese sandwiches. Simplicity itself to make - just mash a little finely chopped fresh dill into some light cream cheese. Spread this on thin fresh bread - white or wholemeal. Peel and thinly slice some Lebanese cucumber. Make a sandwich using the slices on the bread. Remove the crusts and cut into small triangles.

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