Seafood Guide » Oysters

Oysters

Chelsea Gem

Source: Chef’s Resource

Chelsea Gem Oysters are a Pacific Northwest oyster from the eastern shores of Eld Inlet which is part of the South Puget Sound oyster appellation in Washington State. They originally were a rack & bag farmed oyster (pictured here) but in recent years owner John Lentz developed the first tide tumbling bags for cultivation.

Using the tide tumbling cultivation method means that the oysters do not have to filter much sand & mud in order to get nutrients, thus they grow faster and reach market size in less than a year. Tide tumbling also gives them deep cups and fairly strong shells. Because Chelsea Gems are “off bottom” raised they do not have the muddy tidal flats flavor associated with some beach raised oysters. Instead, Chelsea Gem oysters have a creamy texture with a sweet flavor, mild brininess, and a cucumber finish.

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