QUICK BITE: Mussels and Oysters in Ston Croatia

During our stop in Slano Croatia, we took a boat to an island where we'd get to see how oysters and mussels are grown. 

The oysters here are grown very differently than any other oyster farm I have visited.  Many oyster farms will get the "babies" from a central source such as Hawaii.   And other farms I have visited (such as in Tasmania Australia and Juneau Alaska), grow them in mesh baskets.  

I was surprised when the owner told us that their oysters start growing naturally from eggs from a female oyster.  Any eggs that catch on the netting that is hung like a string into the water. The ones here in this picture are about six months old.  

On farms that use the basket technique, those are rotated occasionally to make sure all the oysters are getting the proper amount of nutrients from the water. For the method used here, the oysters are just grow on the netting. After about eighteen months, the larger oysters are carefully removed with gloves.  Then they go through an unusual process.  They are cemented one by one to new netting. 

These grow for about another twelve months.  They are checked occasionally to make sure they are healthy and free of any mussels that decided to find a new home.  

Mussels are grown in the same way using this netting.  Much less maintenance is required for those. They really just grow until they reach the expected size.   

So we came all the way to this island.  Would be get to sample some?  The answer was under these trees.  

They had setup an oyster and mussel picnic!!

First was the oysters. 

These were briney morsels of goodness, although a bit chewy.  I think they would have been better had they not been allowed to get as big as they were.   Each person on our 23 person tour received three oysters.   There were several people who didn't like oysters so there were some "extras" available.  

Then came the mussels.  Absolutely the largest pot of mussels I have ever seen in my life.  

If I had purchased these in a restaurant, these would easily be $100 USD or more for this enormous portion.  They were steamed in their own juices along with garlic, lemon and white wine.  Simply prepared. And so good!!