Our beloved Belon Oysters, ready for degustation.
We encountered Belon Oysters at the wonderful Shucker Paddy’s demo at Fin Your Fishmonger a couple of years ago, and immediately fell in love. Originally from the Belon river in France, Belons are big and flat with shells that are crusty and difficult to open. (Shucker Paddy advised us to work the knife around the shell instead of always going in at the hinge; our experience is that the easiest opening place will be near the hinge but not on it.) The reward is a generous meat with a taste that combines seaweed and copper… transcendent.
At least that’s what we think. Shucker Paddy told us that of the 10% of diners who like oysters, only 10% of those will like Belons. All the more for us, when the short season begins in late September. (I’ve read they are in season from September to May, but in the northeast US at Fin Your Fishmonger they’re only available for a couple of weeks.) Hard to get, hard to open, maybe hard to choke down but if you are Belon material you will be as giddy as we are. If your fishmonger carries them, bring home a bag. If they don’t, ask for a special order.
If you like oysters in general, you’ll learn a lot in our Shucker Paddy video, which comes with written notes. And do consider ordering Shucker Paddy’s oyster knife which really is a genius design.
