Lowcountry Oysters
If you travel to South Carolina, you’re going to encounter oysters. They are essential to the culture there and are pervasive in so many different ways. Luckily, I love oysters, so I was more than happy to explore all the ways in which they’re used in the Carolina lowcountry.
The Big Oyster by Mark Kurlansky
Before traveling to the Carolinas, I read Mark Kulansky’s The Big Oyster.
Kulansky is a fantastic non-fiction writer and usually writes about a “thing.” Some of his other books focus on the topics of salt, cod, paper, milk, and even one on endangered bugs. But I was interested in oysters and learned so much about the role they’ve played in society.
The Big Oyster is based on the oyster industry in New York, not South Carolina, but I think you could draw many of the same conclusions about its impact in either society. Apparently, New York was once synonymous with oysters — a connection I never would have made.
Kurlansky even talks about Pearl Street – the hub of commerce in early 20th century New York City. Massive oyster beds could be found in the New York Harbor. Harvesters produced jewelry from the oyster shells and the meat of these mollusks provided sustenance to the area. Unfortunately, industrial growth cause the waters to become polluted and the oyster beds dried out. It’s rumored that Pearl Street is paved with crushed oyster shell. I believe it. Oyster shells in South Carolina were used for construction as well.
Tabby Ruins
During our Gullah Heritage Tour, our guide Irvin pointed out a house built from crushed oyster shells. Tabby is a concrete made from crushed oyster shells, lime, sand, and water. Throughout South Carolina you’ll find ruins of colonial fortifications, plantation dwellings, and commercial buildings made of tabby.
Tabby ruins on Hilton Head Island
At Honey Horn Plantation, there is a recycling drop off for oyster shells. I’m not sure how long it took to amass the piles we saw there, but they’re using these oyster shells in a much different way. It’s part of a community- based oyster shell recycling and estuary bed restoration project on Hilton Head Island.
Oyster beds act as natural breakwaters that protect the coasts from erosion. In addition, creating reef with these oyster shells helps the oyster population thrive, and that, in turn, creates a healthier ecosystem in the water. Oysters are powerful filter feeders who are able to quickly clean up contaminants and provide a more conducive habitat for hundreds of species.
Eating Oysters
Of course, in order to get oyster shells, one must first eat the oysters. I was only too happy to help and certainly ate my share while I was in South Carolina!
Fried Oysters at Kenny B’s
You will have NO problem finding fresh fried oysters in the lowcountry. I just can’t get them like this in the Midwest. You can taste the ocean they were pulled from; a little salty, a little briny. Succulent. And seasoned by people who know how to do it and do it right.
Of course, the more popular version, especially along the coast, are raw oysters on the half shell. Not the way I prefer my oysters, but I like those, too. I like the artistry in presenting them and the flavors that a chef or region usually adds. Eating in oyster has been compared to tasting wines — the salinity and complexity of the oyster makes each dish distinct.
In some of the restaurants around the area, you’ll find them featured. Raw oyster bars, oyster stews, and oyster roasts are big doings in the area – especially in months that include an “R” in their name. Those are the months when oysters are harvested fresh. It’s a booming business in South Carolina. The world is their oyster!
Maybe that’s what Mark Kurlansky was describing in 19th century New York? I don’t think oysters are synonymous with New York anymore, but oysters are definitely still a staple of any reputable coastal town in South Carolina lowcountry.
Oyster Shell Art
Bluffton, South Carolina is just across the bridge connecting Hilton Head Island to the mainland. They embrace oysters as an art in their town. Here again, many restaurants have oysters on their menu, and it’s the place where the Bluffton Oyster Company still shucks oysters by hand. Guests can watch them shuck fresh oysters if they come early in the morning. I know I’d want to stick around for lunch.
A walk around Bluffton showcased oyster shells in another art form: as a street art much like the bulls decorating the corners of streets Custer, South Dakota, or the flying pigs that landed along the streets of Cincinnati. In Bluffton, oyster shells! Take a look at a few we spotted:
You’ll find oysters in one form or another throughout the sea islands and coast of South Carolina. You can’t miss them. And I wouldn’t want to!
Are you a fan of oysters?
Browsing The Atlas 
Hi. I eat shellfish, but I’ve never had oysters. I’m not sure why. They are readily available in my area. I’m going to make it a point to give oysters a try! See you —
Neil Scheinin
I’ll be eager to hear what you think about them.
That oyster art is so cool!
I do like oysters, although I don’t eat them often.
I liked it, too. I love community art that symbolizes a city — like our pigs in Cincinnati.
You and and my wife Peggy are welcome to eat all of the oysters your tummies can hold, Juliann, and I will gladly donate my share. 🙂 Every few years I try again, but the message is always the same. It’s one of the very few foods that I didn’t like from day one, way back when my mother used to cook them up when I was a child. –Curt
If Peggy ever needs an oyster-dining companion, tell her I’m her girl!
Fascinating post. Though here in Jersey (CI) we are familiar with oysters (mainly for export these days) I’m not sure the shells were ever used in construction – I must enquire. And I can’t remember them ever being served deep-fried. The most delicious I’ve eaten though were in a bar in Cancale, France, with a cold beer.
Interesting to hear of the New York connection too, one I’ve never read about before.