Mossel Bay Oysters

Mossel Bay in South Africa is famous for its seafood and Wild Mossel Bay Oysters

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Wild Mossel Bay Oyster CloseupMossel Bay is a port town and beach holiday destination on the Southern Cape of South Africa with a population of 130,000 and is known for its seafood among other things. Mossel Bay actually means "mussel bay," but the shellfish it is known for is the oyster.

I ran into Wild Mossel Bay Oysters at a seafood place in Johannesburg with the unlikely name of Montego Bay - they had both cultivated and large Wild Mossel Bay Oysters on the menu. I opted for a few of the wild oysters on the halfshell. They come from the Klein Bark River near Mossel Bay.

Mossel Bay in South Africa is famous for its surfing supposedly as well, and I surf! Field trip?

So, what did the Oysters taste like?

Well, first of all they were a smallish to medium size, more on the medium size.

The taste was briny and hearty, withSouth African Mossel Bay Oysters a nice upfront spicy flavor. Cantaloupe on the end of the palate. Meaty, with a body like whitefish sashimi, perhaps Tai (red snapper). They were great!

I'll have then again when I visit in May I hope (I did, they rocked again! Also see my Namibian Oyster experience).

I had the oysters both plain and with a few drops of lemon on them. The menu had all kinds of other interesting oyster combos as well, including standards like Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters Casino (although Clams Casino are the classic), and some very creative ones like Oysters Flamed Tequila (mango salsa, lime, and flaming Tequila), Oysters Martini (gin. lemon juice, pimento stuffed green olive and tabasco), Oysters Caifornian (shredded lettuce, smoked salmon,  creme fraiche and ikura), and more. I'm not even clear on which of these creative oyster preparations are cooked or not, for example the Oysters Martini, but they sound interesting!

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