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Royal Oyster, passion in its purest form.
The Royal Oyster is a vintage, special deep-cupped oyster harvested in a naturally iodized environment. This noble shellfish is the product of a rigorous selection, and is traditionally matured in the Artouan marsh south of Marennes, in France. Caressed by the ebb and flow of the tide, this oyster, acquires pearly ornaments and develops an unique iodized taste.
Thanks to a natural selection and oyster expertise developed over five generations, the Royal Oyster has acquired its letters of nobility from our demanding professional customers.
Year after year, our ostreiculteurs, who must work with a fragile and capricious natural environment, tirelessly nurture and harvest our shellfishes to obtain the best flavours, while preserving the balance between quality and quantity.
Our desire today is to introduce you to our passion in its purest form.
Fabrice, Oyster Farmer.
The Artouan marsh
Oysters from Artouan marsh, south of Marennes, in France, have long been appreciated by kings and by Cardinal Richelieu. Overtime, the rearning and the maturing of this shellfish have replaced the salt production in the salt marshes of Seudre.
Our marsh is on the land of the township called Saint Just Luzac, near the locality of Artouan; it is a land swept by iodized sea breezes and permeated with regional fresh waters. It is in the heart of this natural domain, on nearly 75 hectares of moor, channels and pools, in our oyster beds, that the Royal Oyster matures in “claire” and is prepared for its voyage around the whole world.
We are proud of this land with which our family has cohabited for five generations; our passion for this region continues with each new generation, and all our efforts are devoted to maintaining these age-old oyster cultivating traditions and by defending and preserving this unique natural resource.
Preservation & tasting
Royal Oyster's conservation:
A royal tasting
Tasted plain, sprinkled with a dash of lemon juice or with pepper, or cooked the Royal Oyster is a gustative discovery in itself. However, you have to manage to open it in order to discover an ocean of flavours, and it is often a hard task. So, here are the 10 steps to open a Royal Oyster and to finally enjoy its delicate and salted flesh brewed and matured by freshwater of Artouan marsh.
Take an Oyster. There is a particular way of holding an oyster: the flat shell must be the top shell, and the sharp end must be the one closest to you. |
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Take a knife. You must be careful, in order not to harm yourself. Take a special knife and place your finger at the very end of the blade (do not take the knife by its handle as you usually do). We also strongly advise you to use a piece of rag in order to protect yourself from possible cuts. |
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Find the “opening spot”. It is easier to open an oyster if you manage to find a weakness in the shell. Usually, the opening spot can be found at a two-third distance from the end of the oyster, on the right side. |
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Insert the point of the knife. In order to correctly and safely open the oyster, you need to find a breach between the two shells. Once you have found it, you should insert the blade in it and slowly try to separate the two shells. |
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Separate the two shells. Insert the point of the blade more deeply between the two shells. It is easier if you move slowly the blade and make circular moves. The largest part of the blade should be used as a lever. Be careful the blade must always be oriented toward the floor. |
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Cut the muscle. Maintain the top shell open with your thumb so that you can easily cut the muscle*. (*): the muscle of an oyster is the part where the flesh of the oyster sticks to the shell. |
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Remove the top shell. Once the muscle is cut, you can simply remove the top shell. |
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Taste a Royal Oyster 1/ You must take the water off of the oyster before tasting it. Press slowly with the blade of your knife upon the oyster. This will make all the impurities generated by the opening go away. Advice: You must always hold the oyster firmly while opening it. Finally, you may present the oysters on a bed of fresh seaweed (advice: not on crushed ice). If you want to be more original, you may put them on coarse sea salt or on chilled stones. |
JUST ENJOY THE TASTING!
In order to make the tasting of this exceptional shellfish a true gastronomic experience, we suggest you visit the page «Gastronomy», where you will find «world chefs' recipes».
The Royal Oyster®, a taste of luxury
The Royal Oyster is a vintage, special deep-cupped oyster, is historically a dish that was enjoyed by many kings of France. It is a delicate shellfish, both sweet and salty, that will revealed various tastes depending on the way it is cooked.
Our oysters allow the world’s famous chefs to express their creativity and innovation, and also to awake the curiosity of gourmets. The Royal Oyster can be eaten raw or cooked, cold or warm, with or without spices. It will still have an iodized taste that will please gourmets. It also has many healthy values (such as: vitamins, minerals, trace elements…).
Our oysters can be eaten in many different ways:
• The ordinary way of eating them : the Royal Oyster can be eaten row, with only some whole pepper.
• A more eccentric way of eating them : The Royal Oyster can be tasted cooked, (It will still keep all its taste). It is a good way to cook them for celebrations. There are many ways to prepare them: steamed, in tartar, gratin baked, fried, in soup, on the grill, poached, in fritters, in brochettes or in croquettes. You can also serve them with fish, red meat, poultry, or as a garnish.
If you are looking for ideas, you can have a look on our page called « world's chefs' recipes ». Here you will find many recipes created by world- famous chefs, where the oyster is the star ingredient.