The Kelly Gigas Oyster
A wondrous gift from our wild Atlantic waters that can be yours any time. Apart from the unique depth of taste offered by this Kelly oyster, its beauty lies also in its accessibility. These oysters are available all year round – to ensure they can be become a consistent, regular feature on your menu.
Taste the Difference
You’ll immediately notice the difference between a Kelly Native Flat Oyster and a Kelly Gigas Oyster. The Native Flat Oyster offers up a stronger flavour – a symphony of salt, wild grasses and crystal freshness. The Kelly Gigas is a younger oyster: it does not stay and feed as long in the water as the Native Flat, so the taste is milder. While our farming method that takes advantage of the cool Atlantic water promotes a fabulous, firm flesh.
Know How They Grow
It’s a labour of love as the Kelly Gigas Oyster grows its way to perfection.
Gigas seed sourced from hatcheries is grown with great care and attention within Galway Bay, to produce a well-shaped, plump oyster. All oysters are sorted by size and grouped this way in their growing bags. As the oysters grow and mature, they are hand-turned by the farmer to make sure any brittle, unattractive edges are removed and the oyster grows according to the classic tear-drop shape, with a deep, meat-filled shell. At just the right time, the oysters are moved to larger bags and thinned out, to prevent over-crowding.
As the oysters sit above the seabed, they enjoy the ideal environment – while the tide coming in twice daily brings in the goodness and nutritious food supply of the Atlantic Ocean’s phytoplankton.
The Gigas Oysters are finished in the rich estuarine water of our own oyster bed, where they fatten and develop their own unique flavour.
Only when each oyster displays its perfect, required quality characteristic, do we harvest the crop.
