Shigoku Fever
Seattle chefs—and diners—are clamoring for the latest oyster variety from Taylor Shellfish. Where to get ’em while they’re hot. (Er, cold.)
Thomas M. Barwick
Taylor Shellfish ships out oysters from Samish Bay just as fast as it can raise and clean them.
Shigoku oysters have swiftly become the hottest bivalves in Seattle. Raised in Willapa and Samish Bays by Taylor Shellfish Farms, the attraction of this new oyster is partly its unique shape—a super-smooth shell with a deep, rounded cup (thanks to tumbling four times every 24 hours by the tide, which chips away the rough outer edges of the shells). But it’s also the oyster’s depth of flavor: a clean, firm, briny bite with a taste similar to cucumbers and melon.
Since a winter storm wiped out the Shigoku harvest in November, diners—and chefs—are even more obsessed, and far more restaurants want the oysters than can be supplied. But we’ve found the five spots in the city almost guaranteed to have a stash. (Do call in advance, though, just to be sure.)
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