Whether you’re an oyster pro or you’re just discovering this must-try delicacy, we’ve got the tasting tips and advice for you:
- Find your favourite varieties with our taste tags
- Oysters & Beer: A Pairing with Character
- Host your own oyster party
- Dig into our recipes
Get expert advice from your IGA fishmonger
top by the fish counter for expert advice and sample our range of oyster varieties from across Canada, including from Quebec and the Maritimes. All of our oyster products are recommended by Ocean Wise.
Pick the perfect oyster every time with our taste tags!
PHaving a hard time picking out your oysters? Never hesitate at the fish counter again! Choose the flavours you love in a flash with the detailed descriptions on the tags. Select your favourite oysters based on flavour and texture. We’ve classified the oysters based on the size and flavour of the flesh, which is a great way to find your favourites.
Need a little help? Ask your IGA fishmonger to recommend tags to match your taste!
Discover our taste tags for different types of oysters
Get to know your favourite tags for the best flavour experience every time. Feeling bold? Use our taste tags to discover varieties you’ve never tried before.
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Oysters & beer: A pairing with character
While white wine is often the first match that comes to mind, beer opens the door to pairings that are just as surprising as they are delicious. Its fine bubbles, malty or tangy notes, and natural freshness harmonize beautifully with the salinity and texture of oysters.
Find your favourite Flavour Profile and discover perfect pairings, presented by Bières et Plaisirs.
Light Blonde Beer
- Salty & Fleshy: sweetness balances salinity.
- Mineral & Delicate: highlights the oyster’s minerality.
- Sweet & Delicate: sweetness enhances cereal notes.
- Vegetal & Fleshy: brings out grains and subtle iron notes.
Bitter Blonde Beer
- Salty & Fleshy: perfect balance of salt and hops.
- Mineral & Delicate: tropical hop aromas shine through.
- Sweet & Delicate: iodine amplifies the bitterness.
- Vegetal & Fleshy: tropical hop flavors intensified.
Light Wheat Beer
- Salty & Fleshy: floral notes pair beautifully with iodine.
- Mineral & Delicate: sweet and citrusy start, iodized finish.
- Sweet & Delicate: shared sweetness, iodized finish.
- Vegetal & Fleshy: highlights sweetness, citrus, and spice.
Fruity & Tart Beer
- Salty & Fleshy: acidity brightens the salinity.
- Mineral & Delicate: minerality meets fruit, saline finish.
- Sweet & Delicate: sweetness and fruit in harmony.
- acidity enhances vegetal notes.
Smooth Dark Beer
- Salty & Fleshy: salty-café contrast, cocoa finish.
- Mineral & Delicate: salt and iodine followed by coffee.
- Sweet & Delicate: sweetness first, then cocoa and salt.
- Vegetal & Fleshy: cocoa and coffee dominate, lingering salt.
How to choose and open your oysters
How to choose and open your oysters
Topics: How to choose and open oysters
Storing oysters: Oyster food safety
- Ideally, you should eat oysters within 24 hours of buying them. Otherwise, keep them in their original packaging on the bottom shelf of your fridge, and cover with a damp towel so they don’t dry up. If stored adequately, oysters keep up to six weeks from their picking date, indicated on the package.
- Very important: do not store them in an airtight container, soak them in water, or expose them to temperature shock. This would spoil the oysters.
- If properly stored, oysters have a lifespan of up to six weeks following the date of their harvest, which is indicated on the packaging.
- If the oyster shell is open and doesn’t close when you tap on it, it means the oyster is dead and should not be eaten.
- Once shucked, the oyster should be firm, plump, and floating in its own juices. If it smells foul, discard immediately.
Your IGA seafood specialist can fill you in on where our oysters come from, their texture, and their nuanced flavour profiles. Try mixing it up according to the season!
Plan your oyster party like a pro!
For a successful oyster party, offer various types of oysters, and make sure to set aside enough time to shuck and prep them before your guests arrive.
How many oysters should you have on deck?
- 6 to 8 oysters per person as an appetizer.
- 12 to 15 oysters per person as a main course with side dishes
- 18 to 30 oysters per person as a main course with no side dishes.
Offer your guests 2 to 3 varieties of oysters to choose from, making sure to include various sizes, origins, and flavours.
Eat varieties in order from least to most salty.
Raw oysters pair nicely with lemon, or with spicy Tabasco sauce, but you can also try them with chili sauce, salsa, vinegar, or wine, beer, and Champagne mignonettes . . . the possibilities are endless!
If you plan on serving them warm, make sure to keep a close eye on their cooking time, as they have a tendency to become rubbery when overcooked.
Geneviève Everell is preparing a mignonette sauce for the oyster season.
Geneviève Everell is preparing a mignonette sauce for the oyster season.
Topics : How to choose and open oysters