Recipes & Tips Blog

Seattle just got a little more spoiled in the Great Ingredients & Great Food category. Taylor Shellfish Farms has been an institution in these parts for over 100 years farming oysters, clams, mussels and the famed native Northwest geoduck.

Retail store 1521 Melrose Ave, Seattle, WA

Supplying restaurants with award winning shellfish and selling directly to consumers through local farmer’s markets has been their modus operandi to date, but with yesterday’s full-on oysterrrific bash they celebrated the grand opening of their retail shop. Taylor Shellfish Farms is the newest addition to the hip Melrose Market.

Taylor Shellfish Farms grilled oysters

As if live bands and demos of oyster shucking, crab cracking, and geoduck cleaning weren’t enough, they generously supplied the masses with complementary grilled oysters, curried mussels, chowder, and other tasty treats all day.

The fastest oyster shucker I've ever seen!

The shop sells live Dungeness crab, spot prawns, geoduck, clams, mussels, and a full range of oysters. They also offer a selection of frozen seafood, smoked salmon and smoked clams, chowder by the bowl, books on oyster and seafood cookery, along with a few select hand tools for wrestling the tasty bits from shells. I was most intrigued by the Crab Cracking Tool. A gadget designed for cracking a crab shell without crushing the meat in the process. I heard rave reviews, but didn’t manage to see a demo myself.

Taylor Shellfish Farms oysters

Staffed with a very knowledgeable and friendly crew the store is airy, bright and very inviting. The bistro tables next to the window are a perfect perch for relaxing with a bowl of chowder and slurping down oysters on the spot, which they will shuck and set on ice for you.

Taylor Shellfish Farm Crew

It was pure chance that I spotted a tweet sent out by Jon Rowley (@oysterwine) about the oyster and wine tasting he was hosting at Taylor Shellfish Farms just after the grand opening celebrations concluded. I was reading his message and reaching for the “reply” button simultaneously! Amazingly I was one of the first ten responses and landed a spot at the table.

Taylor Shellfish Farms Pacific Oysters

Jon Rowley has hosted the Oyster Wine Competition for the past 17 years. As a restaurant consultant he realized when it came to oysters, he was  repeatedly recommending European wines. With so many celebrated wineries on the West coast, it just made sense to find some beautiful domestic wines to pair with oysters.

The Oyster Wine Competition is held each year in April. Ten winning wines are selected from among 100 entries by a panel of food and wine experts. Jon explained that a successful oyster and wine pairing is all about the oyster rather than the wine.

Contrary to standard wine tasting technique, he instructed us to eat an oyster before smelling or tasting the wine. Chewing it well to let the flavor fully expand across our palate and then smell and taste the wine. The mark of a good oyster wine is one that leaves your palate quickly and cleanly so you are ready for the next oyster. Jon pointed out that it’s all about the next oyster, the wine shouldn’t impede that next bite. I wholeheartedly agree and I’ll have another oyster if you don’t mind.

We slurped and sipped our way through the ten Oyster Wine Competition award winning selections for 2011 and came to a nearly unanimous consensus on our top three favorites.

Van Duzer Vineyards 2010 Estate Pinot Gris (Oregon)

Brassfield Estate Winery 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (California)

King Estate Winery Signature Colletion 2009 Pinot Gris (Oregon)

A special thank you to Jon Rowley and Taylor Shellfish Farm for generously hosting this tasting (at no charge!) and giving those of us that were fortunate enough to attend a delightful eye opening and palate expanding experience.

If you are going to be visiting Seattle from out of town, it is worth the short walk from downtown up to Melrose Market to experience some of the best oysters in the world. If you aren’t going to be in town, just click over to their site and order up a feast from their online store. You’ll miss out on the walk, but I’m sure you’ll get over it.

Local folks, you owe it to yourself to stop by their shop and indulge in this Northwest treasure. If you are looking for a full-immersion oyster experience consider going on one of the Walrus & Carpenter picnics this winter. Here’s a peek at just how much fun that is!