Artisanal fishermen harvest Wild Wad Oysters on wild oyster banks in the Wadden Sea. They are Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas), a species used by oyster farms all around the world, and which in France is known as “Creuse”. They first appeared in the Wadden Sea in the 1980s and have since formed large oyster banks, all across the Wadden Sea. At low tide, these banks emerge, enabling fishermen to harvest the oysters, which will subsequently be
cleaned and packed on shore.

The Genuine taste of the wild Wad

The Wadden Sea is exceptional. Salty water from the North Sea and fresh water from the Rhine and Ems rivers flow together in this coastal area sheltered by the Wadden isles. The abundant plankton feeds mussels, cockles, winkles and oysters who live on and in the Wadden seabed. At low tide, birds on the mudflats eat cockles and mussels, while fishermen collect the Wild Wad oysters on the oyster banks. The oysters have firm meat and the pure taste of the Wadden: a saline sweetness, full and round.

The full flavour of the fertile Wadden

In summer, when the sea water gets warmer, the oysters become milky. Future oyster larvae form in the mother oysters like a clump of butter. At intervals they are released and float on the sea water like a milk spot. Female oysters produce up to 200 million larvae this way! The milk in raw oysters tastes creamy. When cooked it is a bit like egg yolk. When grilled on the BBQ, milky oysters are a real treat! Serve them with seaweed butter.

Approved regional product. Slow Food Presidium and World Heritage

Oysters with the ‘Waddengoud’ quality mark are guaranteed to come from wild oyster beds in the Wadden Sea and have been fished and processed according to strict criteria. Fishermen who fish with traditional fishing gear and are committed to maintaining their profession are also recognized by Slow Food as ‘Presidium’. This means for the fishermen that their fishery is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea to be protected.