BY NICOLE MANCINI
Sometimes when people plan an island vacation I think we forget about our neighbor to the North, good old Canada. Wait, an island vacation to cold Canada instead of the warm Caribbean? What? Yes. Canada has a lot to offer- they showed the U.S. what hockey is all about, hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics, and is home to one of the most scenic islands that you should check out now- Prince Edward Island.
PEI oysters shucked by John Bil at the Wine & Food Festival in NYC.
This tiny island, with a population just over 140,000, is home to famous oyster shucker John Bil. A lifetime resident of PEI as he calls it, Bil is passionate about his oysters and the food his island has to offer. Last year he opened Ship to Shore restaurant where farm to table is the mantra. “Here in New York, to go apple picking requires a whole day trip; I wake up in the morning go pick my apples on one part of the island, go see my oyster farmer on the next part and these items are served that night in my place.” The island has an intricate network of farmers and fisherman; it has a rich soil for vegetables and potatoes, and fresh fish year round from oysters, to lobster, and tuna.
One of the island’s most famous shellfish is the Prince Edward Island mussel. At Ship to Shore, Bil’s partner Stephen Stewart, a mussel farmer, grows them in house. Bil showcases the fish in Billi Bi’s Chowder- a soup that he likens to “drinking mussels.” It is made with a simple mussel cream and mussel juices. And while mussels may steal the Prince Edward Island spotlight, Bil wants you to know about the islands’ oysters. He shucks his ‘private stock’ for the customers at Ship to Shore- ‘you can’t get oysters as fresh as I have them.’
Some may say they’ve never seen Prince Edward Island Oysters at an oyster bar or on a restaurants’ menu, but that’s because they go by different names. Malpeque, Raspberry Point, Saltaire, Indian Creek, and Colville Bay are some of the names of the oysters that are grown on the island, which is ideal for oyster farming. It has clean, not too salty water, which gives the oysters a medium saltiness and a sweet finish.
I was fortunate enough to try these delicious oysters at the Prince Edward Island Flavours stand during the Grand Tasting of the New York City Wine & Food Festival. John Bil was on hand, shucking away, and although he was fast, the bed of ice for the oysters was always empty from the people scrounging them down. He served them with a mignonette of apple cider vinegar and jalapenos, which paired perfectly with the sweet oysters.
The main city of the island is Charlottetown, which is only a two-hour flight from JFK. Bil says his island is an absolute getaway, a place that is never crowded, and a community in every sense of the word. The best time to go is May through October; for the foodies out there head up in September for the Fall Flavours festival, and visit John Bil at Ship to Shore.
For more information on Ship to Shore restaurant and PEI visit these websites:
