Call the Bluff (+recipes)

Yes it's that magic time of year again - Bluff oyster season.

Though bad seas in Foveaux Strait during early March made it difficult for the oyster fleet to start dredging, things have righted themselves and these delicacies are appearing on menus everywhere.

Commercial oystering started at Stewart Island in the 1860s and within a short space of time, they were in such demand that the beds were exhausted and closed to harvesting in 1877.

In those early days, it was a race to get the first oysters back to the wharf, but now the fleet is met by helicopters racing to distribute these marine treasures, celebrated as some of the finest oysters in the world.

More recently, the Bluff or mud oyster has also had a couple of tough runs with a parasitic disease known as bonamia, which made the oysters watery and black, and which weakened their chances of keeping their shell shut against predators.

But when healthy, as they are now, the oyster has a delicate, succulent, creamy-coloured meat best consumed immediately upon purchase - and they are an excellent source of omega 3.

I have to admit, I struggle to eat raw oysters unless they come as a shooter, giving you little chance of chomping through the salty flesh.

But other folk favour them crusted in Japanese panko crumbs with soft herbs, or dipped in an airy batter, fried until crunchy and served with lemon aioli.

As a dinner party starter, they pair wonderfully with spiced tomato (virgin mary), champagne and blood-orange jelly, citrus and low-salt soy, melon puree and vodka, or simply with lemon juice and served on crushed ice.

Vegetable "noodles" made by peeling and slicing cucumbers on a Japanese mandolin, served with toasted sesame seeds and chives, offer a great bed to sit the oysters on.

And if you're really keen to get them from the source, head to the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival on May 22.

RECIPES:

Japanese oyster shooters
Trendy Oysters Kilpatrick