Soul Bar Bistro in Auckland is famous for its all-you-can-eat Bluff oyster lunch that celebrates the opening of the season. Photo / Supplied
Soul Bar Bistro in Auckland is famous for its all-you-can-eat Bluff oyster lunch that celebrates the opening of the season. Photo / Supplied
If your mouth is watering at the thought of Bluff oysters but you fear being thwarted by Covid's ripples, never fear, writes Anna King Shahab
Fanfare generally accompanies the opening of the annual Bluff oyster season on March 1. Deservedly so - although we eagerly anticipate the arrival of asparagus, strawberries, and watermelon, there aren't many truly seasonal proteins. In the case of the Bluff species, the season is regulated; there's no fishing of our famously big and juicy Southern Ocean oysters until the clock passes the stroke of midnight and the calendar ticks over to the first day of March. Our Bluff oyster fishery is one of the few remaining wild oyster fisheries in the world and warrants stringent protection.
Behind this particular bivalve's journey to our plates is a load of logistics and Covid is having an impact - the oyster fishing industry on Foveaux Strait is highly specialised, small, weather dependent and therefore sensitive to disruptions. Ace shuckers are few, there are supply chain issues, restaurants are being forced to temporarily close with staff isolating and there's a severe drop in customer numbers.
Soul Bar & Bistro in Auckland is famous for its all-you-can-eat Bluff oyster lunch that celebrates the opening of the season, but the establishment has been closed temporarily due to Covid-related staff shortages so that highly anticipated event is off the cards for now.
It may well be harder to find Bluffies on the menu this season, but if you're comfy dining out in these strange times, the chase will make these babies taste even sweeter. Here are some favourite spots around the country to get your fix.
Fowlers Wild Bluff Oysters is a family business just outside of Bluff. Photo / Supplied
Close to the source
This year's Bluff Oyster & Food Festival has sadly been cancelled, but don't let that put you off a tour of the deep south. Pull over on the left just before you arrive in Bluff at Fowlers Wild Bluff Oysters. This family business fishes on its own boat, the Owenga VII, using the traditional straight lines and one dredge method. They then process the catch and serve the Bluffs battered and fried at the fish and chippery, alongside succulent blue cod and greenbone. Follow them on Facebook for weather (and availability) updates and snapshots from out on briny.
Bluff's Fowlers Wild Bluff Oysters is a family business that fishes on its own boat, the Owenga VII, using the traditional straight lines and one dredge method. Photo / Supplied
Make a stop at historic Aparima/Riverton, where the Aparima Restaurant and Bar serves up Bluffs in a magical spot, with views over the Jacob's River Estuary. They've got them in their famous crisp beer batter, or au naturel with vinegar and lemon.
A bit further up the road, Best Cafe in Dunedin nails the no-nonsense approach to wonderfully fresh southern seafood including Bluffs - the sliced white bread with butter curls, formica tabletops, and retro signwriting nod to its status as the oldest fish and chip shop in the land (scooping since 1932). If you're after an immersive experience with your Bluffs, best head to Best.
Chef Ben Bayly of Arrowtown's Aosta and its newborn sibling Little Aosta is deeply passionate about our country's food producers, none more so than the brave folk who fish Bluffs. Bayly sources his Bluffs from Marina Oysters and Fish. "A family business with one boat and a great story", he says. "Kim Duggan runs the company and her brother skippers the boat. They really care about the ocean". Bayly eschews the all-you-can-eat concept. "Bluffs are special and should be consumed in such a way", he says. "No gluttony! We just serve them natural, by the piece".
Up country
Can't get that far south? Bluff oysters are delivered live to restaurants around the country to be shucked and served. In the capital, a pile of empty shells and a spent bottle of something crisp and dry is a sign of a few hours well spent at Logan Brown. New Plymouth's State Bistro does surf and turf with aplomb: follow up juicy Bluffs with an expertly-prepared steak.
Soul Bar & Bistro in Auckland is famous for its all-you-can-eat Bluff oyster lunch that celebrates the opening of the season. Photo / Supplied
In Auckland, there are a number of places catering to those keen on scoffing a fair few - Oyster and Chop on the Viaduct is known for its daily oyster happy hour, and Harbourside is hosting an all-you-can-eat Bluff celebration this Friday, March 11- get in quick, there may still be a few tables going. Lost Souls fret not, Soul Bar & Bistro's events manager Olivia Carter says that although they're unable to host their usual Bluff bonanza at the start of March they're hoping to put it on before the season is out. "Our shuckers from Bluff are keen to come up when we can make it happen". And Bluffs will be on the menu at Soul when it reopens.
Overlooking Princes Wharf, Shucker Brothers is a wonderful spot to sneak in a few before hopping on a ferry, after work, or after hitting the downtown Auckland shops to help prop up the heart of the city. Co-owner Ana Schwarz says they're "Shucked to order, served on ice with lemon or a cab sav mignonette, and tempura is also available".
Cocoro's Makoto Tokuyama has over the past decade or more proved to be one of the country's true maestros in working with seafood. This year he's serving them three ways: natural; in tempura with three sauces - yame matcha with Marlborough sea salt, wasabi mayo, and temstuyu; served with ponzu sauce and junsai. Junsai, or water shield leaf, isn't an ingredient you see every day in Aotearoa.
How lucky we are to have such diverse, fascinating, and thoughtfully considered ways to enjoy a truly world-class oyster from the bottom of the world.
