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Texas may be best known for beef, but its bay oysters rank second to none. Ask any
connoisseur. Texas oysters are impeccably fresh-whether served on the half shell with a kiss of salt air and Texas hot sauce or shucked for a sauté or creamy stew.
Texans know their oysters. They've eaten the briney bivalves for centuries – ever since Native American Karankawas living on the coast waded pristine shallows to scoop dinner from a reef. After eating, the Karankawas tossed empty oysters shells until mounds dotted the shore. Though most have washed away, these shell middens can still be found around Galveston Bay.
Like the Karankawas of old, modern Texans enjoy succulent raw oysters, but their
taste buds also hanker for batter-fried, grilled and host of new dishes from innovative chefs expanding the Texas oyster menu. When Texas Department of Agriculture staff sampled Oysters in Chipotle Sauce at
Galveston's Mardi Gras, they almost had to beat back the revelers with shucking knives. An overflow crowd of 2,000 – three times the number expected – queued up for spicy oysters and strands of Texas pearls.
The American commercial oyster (Crassostrea virginica) thrives in the bays and estuaries behind barrier islands separating the Texas mainland from the Gulf of Mexico. Here, fresh and saltwater combine to crate the environment oysters need to live and flourish. Fans of Texas oysters can buy their favorite mollusk year round. Harvest, confined to natural reefs in state-approved waters, takes place on public reefs in the bay system from November 1 – May 1.
During open season anyone with a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department harvester's license may harvest oysters and sell to dealers certified by the Texas Department of Health. The rest of the year harvest occurs on private oyster leases, mainly in Galveston Bay, home to
60-70 percent of the oyster crop. Smaller catches ocean from Matagorda and San Antonio bays as well as others in the system.
Up and down coast, reefs emerge at low tide in shallow areas. Early settlers must have delighted in this sight and the feast growing just beyond shore. Back then, the oysters' reputation spread rapidly, even catching the ear of a U.S. Army general stationed in San Antonio who insisted on moving his headquarters to Corpus Christi to take advantage of the balmy weather and local cuisine, especially the bay oysters.
Corpus Christi gave birth to a tall Texas tale adding to the state's oyster lore. As the story goes, Texas Rangers chased a band of marauding Indians onto a beach jutting into the bay. Knowing the Indians were surrounded by water and couldn't escape the Rangers decided to camp until morning. When the sun rose, the beach was empty. All they found were footprints leading into the water.
Some say the story marked the discovery of Reef Road, a series of oyster shell beds between Corpus Christi and Nueces bays. Reef Road could be crossed by horse wagon at low tide, and for years locals used the submerged route to cut travel time between Nueces and San Patricio counties. Meanwhile, other enterprising Texans were reaping a harvest that would develop into the country's second-leading oyster industry. By 1890, four years before the Grand Opera hall opened in romantic Galveston, oystermen harvested more than 2 million pounds of meat. Fourteen years later, as Galveston rebuilt from the devastating hurricane of 1900, the figure had climbed to a record-breaking 3.5 million pounds.
In those days, skiffs manned boy "tongers" piled reefs. On a calm day, a good tonger could haul in 6 barrels of oysters with long scissors-like tongs. Tongs remained the primary harvesting tool until the late 1940's when more efficient dredges did them in. Boats outfitted with dredges can harvest up to 100 sacks of oysters and return to shore quickly. Within 24 hours, the oysters can be delivered to restaurants and retailers in and out of state.
Texas oysters are certified. From boat to storage and sale, they
meet the most stringent state and federal regulations. It's assurance to the nation's consumers that Texas oysters are the freshest and the best.
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