Malpeque
Malpeque Bay, PEI 🌎 See Oyster Map
PEI’s most famous oyster, grown wild in Malpeque Bay and harvested by hand-tonging out of small skiffs. Malpeques come in two grades: Choice and Standard. Choice have well-shaped, deep-cupped shells; standards are more curved and shallow.
Malpeque (12 Ratings)
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Middle of the road. Inconsistent.
I give an average review to Malpeques for many reasons.
+ They are easy to find
+ They are not overwhelmingly costly, actually, around december I see them half price.
+ They taste wonderful, when they are good. Nice meat, nice briny taste, sweet even sometimes.
+ They can be pretty big and tasty, or small and nice. You get a nice spectrum.
+ They are usually the first ones I eat every oyster season, because of reasons above.
+ They are the first oysters that got me into the addiction. They have my respect.
+ They are usually easy to shuck.
– In a dozen, 9 times out of 10 I have 1-2 that are bad, I mean, filled with mud, or dry.
– They really are Hit or Miss. Everytime I buy a box, I literaly pray for a good box.
– Some stores sell them not in a box, but in a wrapped styrofoam box. DON’T DO THAT, I WANT TO SEE THE DATES THEY WERE HARVESTED.
– They have their flaws: I can tell with one look those which will be a pain to shuck. Some shells are a mess (you know, the holes….
– Their quality vary greatly, and this really hurt Malpeque’s reputation for me.
– They can be really dirty. I mean REALLY dirty.
All in all, they get average because I both love them and it’s a good thing I have a choice and I’m not stuck with only Malpeques. They can be both refreshing or very salty. I eat them raw, nothing added. The oyster, a knife and that’s it. Not too meaty (except the bigger ones, which I find can be real monsters) and not too overly chewy. It’s a default oyster and good for starters, messing one of them up isn’t going to cost you too much, and they will definitely let you enjoy the fall “hobby”.
Can be hit and miss. You get the occasional “expired” one, and then the usual ones (fair but no real signature flavor or wow factor), but then you get one that is a splendid, mush-roomy, flimsy but “right on the verge of good meatiness” example with a (what seems to be) always light brine (..with these). A nice pea-green tint to their shells (the Malpeques that Whole Foods carries, anyway). Shoot for the narrow-shaped ones, they seem to be more consistent (structural and edible consistency) in that shape. A nice, light breakfast-y-type oyster.
Delicious o credibly delicious!!’n
Geting lots of Malpeque markets by the half peck lately at the supermarket. Fresh and saline, great for cooking but prefer choice for ” the real shuck”. the Larger oysters are worth the challenge!
Someone told me the other day that all oysters in PEI can be considered Malpeques because the seed is collected from Malpeque Bay and delivered elsewhere, to grow and thrive, like at Raspberry Point, Colville Bay, etc.
I’m considering tur Malpeques to be those that are seeded, grown and harvested in Malpeque Bay.
I’ve tried a bunch of types/brands of Malpeque oysters at this point, and they are good but not my favourites. Island golds (wild), Summersides, and Blackberry Points are the kinds I have tried and Summersides were my fave.
I got a box of standard choice Malpeque oysters. I was disappointed because the oysters is definitely in low quality, some oysters are infested with clams on shell, boring sponge (make oysters vulnerable to parasites and predators). The oysters is meaty and very briney, quite refereshing for people who prefer meaty oysters.
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8 out of 10! Small, crisp, mild. Easy to nom!
Amazing
Got a sack of these a few days ago, they were nice and clean, briney but not pucker your face salty. Pretty simple flavor and easy going. I will say, they were a very easy shuck, which should be worth some points eh!
These have disappointed me soooooo many times over the past few years that I’ve kind of given up. Better to look for particular brands or growers from PEI.