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LOCAL FLAVOR 146 P O R T L A N D MONTHLY MAGAZINE MEAGHANMAURICE And Boones is oyster paradise. He pulls out met- al racks and trays and stacks them into a tower. People can or- der whatever they want oysters clams shrimpand we fill these up. We sell a lot of oysters here. How many In the summer we can shuck 600 or more in a day. Every- one on the line up herehe gestures to- ward the semi-open kitchenknows how to shuck. So do the bartenders. He picks up a small cup-shaped oyster. You cant leave without comparing Maine to the Pacific. He opens a Chelsea Gem from Puget Sound. Its plump and creamy white the flavor is sweet and dreamy brine from an entirely different beach and noth- ing like the Maine oysters. You taste the fog blowing over Port Townsend. THE LAY OF THE LAND We source a lot of our oysters from the Damariscotta River says Chris Mill- er shellfish manager at Portlands Browne Trading Market. There are certainly oys- ter farms elsewhere in Maine but Damar- iscotta is the gold coast with that cold cold brackish water. Theyre my favorite oysters. Miller explains that there are farmed and wild oysters in Maine. Farmers lease spe- cific aquatic acreage from the state while wild harvesters forage by diving and other means. Both must be licensed and both are regulated by the state. The most common wild oyster here is the Belon says Miller. Its more precise- ly known as the European Flat oyster since trueBelonslikeChampagneandMainelob- sters are geographically specific. Belons ter- roir is off the Brittany coast in France. Maine Belons established a moderate wild popula- tion after scientists in Boothbay transplant- ed stock from France in the 1950s. The fla- vors very different says Miller. Its often favorably described as metallic. S ome Belons are also farmed in Maine. Belons are grown mixed in and among the Glidden Points on my leas- es says Barbara Scully at Glidden Point Oyster Company in Edgecomb. Belons are different in every way most notably they have a shorter shelf life of less than a week and a bold metallic finish on the palate. The Eastern oyster crassostrea vir- ginica and the ostrea edu- lis Belon are two dif- ferent species and they do not cross breed. MORE SHOPPING AROUND Nick Branchina Browne Tradings director of mar- keting expands on the topic of farmed vs. wild Maine oysters. Since theyre all growing nat- urally theres not much difference. Theres no feed the way there is at a fish farm. The farmed ones have been seeded in spe- cific places and the non-farmed are randomly located. I think farmed actu- ally have the advantage because then you know exactly where theyre from. Mean- ing you know theyre coming from clean wa- ter. Branchina is exacting about this. We seek oysters we know are good and ones wanted by our clients. We have oys- ters grown for us in Damariscotta Browne Pointsthat are really good. Theres seasonality involved. But we can generally always have Maine and a few Massachusetts oysters available. And something from the West Coast. At Harbor Fish Market on Custom House Wharf theres even more variety farmed Damariscottas from Glidden Point Dodge Cove and Pemaquids Massachu- setts oysters farmed in Katama Bay and Westport two Prince Edward Island PEI farms Irish Point and Daisy Bay and some fascinatingly dainty wild Damariscottas brought in by divers. We carry Damariscottas as often as we can get them says Cullen Bourke sea- food manager at Free Range Fish Lobster Tip Oyster pros leave unshucked oysters at side up on the ice to let the juices settle in the cup serving side. Above One wild left and three farmed oysters from Damariscotta the gold coast for Maine oysters. At upper left a Flying Point below right a Maine Belon.