Flying Fish Market Report from Day Boat Specialists #5

Missed Flying Fish Report 4, read it here.

Flying Fish Seafoods  is proud to supply high quality fish to distinctive restaurants and hotels throughout the South and West of England. Our pledge is simple. We source the finest and freshest fish directly from Cornwall's best fishermen and deliver it straight to your door. OYSTERS The Pacific oyster, Japanese oyster or Miyagi oyster (Crassostrea gigas), is an oyster native to the Pacific coast of Asia. It has become an introduced species in North America, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand. Natives are pricier and generally thought of as the superior oyster. It is not recommended using them for cooked dishes as the finer flavour would be lost. Eating raw oysters is a uniquely invigorating experience. It seems that we can taste the elements they contain: zinc, calcium, copper, iodine, magnesium. No other food conjures up a physical feature of the Earth as strongly as a bracing, salty, tangy oyster: the essence of the sea in edible form. Oysters can now be obtained throughout the year but are usually better outside of their spawning period (when the waters are colder). For much of recorded history they have been regarded a simple form of sustenance, punctuated by occasional periods in which they reached the status of delicacy. In Britain they shifted from stomach-filler to luxury food with the arrival of the Romans, largely disappeared from the diet after they left, before returning to favour sometime around the eight century. The era of oysters being a cheap commodity came to an end quite abruptly after oyster beds became exhausted due to overfishing and pollution.            BUYING Oysters should be stored at a low temperature and smell briny-fresh. The shells should be clean, bright, tightly-closed and unbroken. Size, shape and flavour vary considerably. The best from British waters are considered to be those from Fowey River, Colchester and Whitstable. STORING Unopened (live) oysters can be kept in the fridge, covered in wet kitchen towels, for two or three days - keep a check on them and discard any that open. Do not store in an airtight container, or under fresh water, as this will cause them to die. Shucked oysters can be kept refrigerated in a sealed container for 2-3 days. They can also be frozen (previously frozen oysters are better for cooking than eating raw).