The Oyster Guide

Beausoleils are farmed in three bays of northern New Brunswick: Shippagan, Néguac, and Richibuctou. Basically, they are suspended Caraquets, never touching the sea floor. In fact, Maison Beausoleil collects the seed from the wild waters, so some Beausoleil oysters are indeed Caraquets by birth. Half the year they grow in floating bags near the surface, enjoying as much warmth and food as the Canadian coast has to offer. When Canada’s dark winter sets in, they are suspended in deeper waters to ride out the ice. Because of their carefully controlled, uncrowded environment, Beausoleil shells are always perfect. Not big—it still takes them four years to reach a 2.5-inch cocktail size—but well groomed, and so uniform they almost look stamped out by machine. The white shells have a classy black crescent. The flavor is refined and light, like a Caraquet, but with a bit more brine, and something of the yeasty warm-bread aroma you get with good Champagne. This makes them the perfect starter oyster. If I had a novice oyster eater in my care and wanted to guarantee a successful first experience, I’d order a dozen Beausoleils.