Gulf Coast Oysters Are Making Waves in Texas Restaurants

All too often, from his post at the shucking station at Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery in San Antonio, chef Aaron Juvera has caught guests haughtily dismissing the merits of Texas oysters.

“I’ll overhear a server talking up local oysters and a customer will say, ‘Nah, I only do East Coast ones,’” Juvera says. “So, I’ll go shuck a couple of oysters and be like, ‘You’re not gonna believe it; you just have to try these. And if you like them, let’s get some more.’”

Recently, a couple celebrating their anniversary tossed around names like Raspberry Point from Canada’s Prince Edward Island as evidence of their oyster affection and expertise. Always on the hunt for Texas converts, Juvera shucked a few Big Tree oysters from Copano Bay and sent them over to their table. With their inherent grassy notes, high salinity, and silky finish, the Texas-raised specimens sent the husband and wife into a state of disbelief.

In 2019, the Legislature passed House Bill 1300, which made Texas the last state along the Gulf Coast to adopt the practice of cultivated oyster mariculture. Environmental calamity and overfishing of oyster reefs have led to a massive decrease in the wild population, but the influx of new intertidal farms is providing a sustainable way to harvest. It’s also creating a whole new industry in its wake.

Due to cleaner waters and careful, informed human intervention, Texas farmers are producing distinct oysters influenced by their merroir—the maritime equivalent of terroir in wine. Whether it is the umami overtones and subtle minerality of Copano Bay bi-valves or the briny, slightly vegetal Matagorda Pearls from DJ’s Oyster Co. out of Palacios, these standout oysters are bringing re-freshing complexity and consistency to the plate.

Juvera is one of a handful of hospitality professionals helping sort through this new bounty of flavor, texture, and scientific data by training to become a Certified Oyster Ambassador. Only the fourth Texan to achieve the honor, Juvera’s 2024 accolade represents the first of three certification levels made available by the global Oyster Master Guild. Just as a wine sommelier studies topics like the influence of soil and climate on the beverage’s production, its oyster equivalent explores cultivation techniques; geographic zones; the handling of oysters inside restaurants; and merroir, which includes factors like sun exposure, temperature, and salinity.

“We realized there was a huge opportunity to bridge the gap between what consumers are experiencing and what producers are wanting that customer to experience by ultimately educating the food service audience,” says Julie Qiu, cofounder of the Oyster Master Guild. “Given the proliferation of oyster varieties and these independent growers, you really have the opportunity to be more of a steward of the product.”

Due to Juvera’s involvement with the guild, Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery now only serves farm-raised oysters from Texas. In addition to shucking hundreds of oysters every service, the chef’s role is to educate his staff and guests on the environmental and human intervention tactics that create different oysters. He’s also become a leading advocate for the nascent industry.

“It’s our best-kept secret right now,” Juvera says. “But in the next few years, I expect to see Texas oysters everywhere from Washington to New York.”