On our way to Fells Point, my friend, who would be trying out oysters for the first time soon, was grumbling. “Whenever you ask someone what oysters taste like, they describe it as if they don’t want you to try it,” he said. “It’s really good, but they have the texture of gelatin... almost slimy... and it’s very salty, as if you’re drinking sea water... But it’s so good, you should try it!” he added, imitating those types of people.
I don’t recall when I had my first oyster, but it was definitely after I came to Baltimore, which is not surprising given the variety of good-quality seafood it has to offer. Oysters quickly found a place in moments I shared with my significant other. Within the last year, we’ve exhausted several oyster places around Charm City: Dylan’s Oyster Cellar for a casual night out, The Urban Oyster for a rather fancier dinner, Thames Street Oyster House for… well, for the simple objective of eating as many oysters as possible for a good price, until Sarp (the significant other in question) had to stop me, concerned I would give myself zinc poisoning.
So, obviously, when Sarp and I found out Fells Point would be hosting its traditional oyster festival, we knew we had to go and take our friends with us. And it was for a good cause: The event organizers partnered with the Oyster Recovery Partnership to help support oyster population restoration in the Chesapeake Bay.
After thrifting some watches and almost purchasing a vintage Coach bag at Bmore Flea, we took a short walk to the Oyster Fest at Broadway Square. We were met with several shuckers serving fresh oysters to visitors, live music and themed souvenirs. The cornhole with the oyster drawing was quite creative, and if I trusted myself enough with preparing oysters at home, I would’ve bought the oyster plates in a heartbeat.
The festival served six types of oysters in total, and they were separated into two groups: local and specialty, which were sold for $2 and $4 per oyster, respectively. We ended up giving each oyster a try.
Local oysters, Chesapeake Bay and Chincoteague, felt quite similar to each other in taste and texture. Both were briny, meaty and chewy — Chincoteague had more of an earthy finish to it whereas Chesapeake Bay was creamy with a sweet aftertaste. Although I really wanted to like these oysters the most, there unfortunately wasn’t much memorable about them. I would still go back to eat some, though.
The real highlight of the festival was, without a doubt, the specialty oysters. I started with the plump Wellfleet oyster from Massachusetts, which was the perfect balance of sweet and briny. Similar to it in size, the East Coast’s Blue Point was the next oyster I tried. I knew that Wellfleet was supposed to be a lot saltier than Blue Point, yet I was instead met with a strong, briny and mineral flavor with a clean finish in mouth.
My two favorites were the smaller oysters, Malpeque and Salt Grass Point. When I first read Malpeque in the options, I thought about how the name reminded me of maple syrup, which matched its pleasant, sweet aftertaste, although it had a pungent, ocean-like flavor. Some people say this Canadian oyster has a “crisp lettuce-like flavor,” yet the oyster gourmet inside me was quite confused about what that means. So, feel free to try it and see for yourself.
Salt Grass Point was our favorite, which was an oyster that was very easy to like anyway: mildly sweet, perfectly plump and very refreshing. Everything about this oyster was pleasant, and if you’ve never tried oysters before, you should go for this one.
As we departed from the festival toward Barcocina, we approached the harbor and watched the sun shimmer on the water. As we sat near the edge and waited for our Lyft to arrive by the coast, Sarp wondered.
“Do you think there are any oysters right here?”
