A Shucker’s Guide to Oysters

Even more than wine and cheese, oysters draw their flavor from their environment. “The same oyster will taste completely different depending on where it grows, tidal flow, water salinity, and food source,” says Robert Daffin, who shucked his first oyster at age eight and has won shucking championships in Alabama, Louisiana, and his native Florida. The 200 different North American appellations (all high in zinc, the source of oysters’ legendary aphrodisiac power) are a testament to that varied environment. “I get people who say they only want West or East Coast oysters,” Daffin says. “Personally, I like to try everything.” Here are his top six.