Taste & Science
What the Oyster Ate
The cucumber note in a Hood Canal Pacific is not a metaphor. It is a specific volatile compound produced by the breakdown of fatty acids from cold-water diatoms. The oyster's flavor is a record of its diet.
Taste & Science
Inside the Claire
The claire is the most famous finishing method in oyster production and the least scientifically explained in culinary writing. What actually happens to salinity, phytoplankton, and flavor during affinage is a precise and measurable process.