Golden oysters, a centuries-old Chinese New Year treat in Hong Kong, secrets to the best ones, and how climate change makes their future uncertain
- Golden oysters, half dried in the winter sun, are a plump delicacy symbolising prosperity and adorn many a Chinese New Year table in Hong Kong
- Their future is in doubt, though. Climate change is affecting harvesting times, and farmers struggle to fill festive orders ‘because the stock just isn’t ready’
Lunar New Year is the biggest date on the Chinese calendar. In Hong Kong, it is often the only time that many workers get a proper break. People wear their shiniest outfits, bring out the best food and drink, and houses are filled with flowers to welcome the new year with the smell of spring in the air.
Not to be confused with the more common dried oysters – which are usually smaller in size, deeper in colour and have a sharp, strong flavour and a chewy texture – the golden oyster is its much milder sibling.
Golden oysters are usually made with larger bivalves and are only semi-dried, which contributes to their lighter flavour and soft texture.
“The drier weather and the sunshine [in winter] are the perfect conditions to half-dry these oysters,” says Edwin Tang Ho-wang, Chinese executive chef of Cuisine Cuisine, a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong.
“Purveyors have been using handed-down knowledge to make these oysters for centuries. The level of salinity, humidity, temperature and the length of time it takes to dry them help keep bacteria at safe levels. They are perfectly safe to eat.”