Hi Mark,
The answer could possibly be due to the variety of oyster that your chef is using.
Some varieties of oysters (flat) have what I call a "sweet metallic" flavor: Ostrea lurida - Olympia Oyster and Ostrea edulis - European flat.
The Japanese Pacific (Crassostrea gigas) and Atlantic Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) shouldn't have that flavor. They have more of a "tangy and sweet" flavor.
Oysters also take on the flavor of the local water they are grown in too.
I would think all of the oysters in "the same batch" should have the same characteristic flavors though, so maybe your chef has another problem going on that I haven't addressed.
Hope I was of some help.
Mark Neely
Surefish, Inc.
Bellingham, WA
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Boulter
To: seafood@ucdavis.edu
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 10:15 AM
Subject: Metallic flavour in oysters
Happy New Year all,
One of our demonstrator chefs here at the Sydney Seafood School has posed the following question.
"Why do some oysters, even from the same batch, have a metallic or iodine taste?"
Does anyone have any answers to this.
Thanks in advance,
Mark
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Mark Boulter
Quality, Environment and Safety Manager
Sydney Fish Market Pty Ltd
Bank Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009
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