Apparently, even though these are a relatively "new" oyster they've been around a few years and we're slightly late to the party, but whatever, we're here now and we'd like some of that there champagne punch, please!
These are called Shigoku oysters, and they come from Taylor Shellfish Farms in Washington. Taylor began farming them in 2009, growing the oysters in floating bags like many Pacific oysters, but these are attached to stationary lines and floats that rise and fall with the tides. The result is that the oysters get tumbled twice a day. This low-energy, low-maintenance technique (a variation on British Columbia’s more labor-intensive Kusshi) continuously chips off the oysters’ growing edge and forces them to “cup up,” getting scoop-shaped and pushing against the limits of their shell as they grow.
They are small, with a deep scoop shell and flat "lid" and are quite easy to shuck. They have a light clean flavor of cucumber and salt, and we love them.
I always experiment with my mignonette sauces. Here are a couple of base recipes I remember:
1. Champagne vinegar, champagne or prosecco, fresh ground pepper, finely diced shallots.
2. Some kind of good vinegar, a splash of vodka, fresh ground pepper, and a dash of Tiffani's kumquat bitters (like a cocktail for your oyster!)
Now you are really capturing my interest. I don’t think I have tried those. I have definitely developed an appreciation for oysters with a deep scoop shell and a flat lid as you say. Such architecture not only makes shucking easier, it also creates a nice reservoir for that heavenly liquid. The sauces sound great and are a bit more sophisticated than my normal lemon, horseradish and hot sauce finish. I just cannot wait to make it out that way. Those are some fine looking oysters.