Oysters from the Ile de Ré | Destination Île de Ré

Oysters are an essential part of our island lifestyle, and oyster farming is an integral part of the maritime culture of the Ile de Ré. Oysters grow in the open sea, mature in the oyster beds and are eaten directly from the producer to your plate, revealing their delicious freshness and sea spray flavours.

On the Ile de Ré, the work of men, oyster farming, is punctuated by the cycle of water and tides. Oysters are produced in this special environment, between the ocean and the salt marshes, the cradle of products of excellence. For generations, the oyster farmer’s ancestral know-how has been perpetuated, in perfect symbiosis with the elements and an exceptional natural setting.

As the seasons go by, the oyster asserts its powerful character, and on the palate it’s an exhibition of flavors: sometimes soft and fleshy, sometimes powerfully iodized and wild.

Oyster farming on the Ile de Ré

The reputation of oysters from the Charente region, and particularly those from the Ile de Ré, is nothing new. Every year, oyster farmers on the island produce between 6,000 and 8,000 tonnes of oysters, or just over 3% of French national production.

Some 62 oyster farmers, most of them family-run operations, share nearly 540 hectares of offshore concessions.

©Ostreiculteur At Work Lesley Williamson|Lesley Williamson

Natural products with health benefits

On the Ile de Ré, in the heart of the marshes and on the open sea, oyster farmers look after a vulnerable ecosystem, respecting the cycles of nature and the seasons, and dealing with the ups and downs of the trade by prioritizing quality over quantity.

This natural product is excellent for your health. Simply put, oysters contain all the vitamins and amino acids you need. Oysters are also rich in minerals, trace elements, omega-3s and numerous vitamins.

Packed with trace elements (calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc and potassium), oysters are an excellent food for boosting our immune defenses. Its iron content is twice that of meat, making it an essential antioxidant. Oysters contain all the minerals and trace elements needed for healthy physiological functioning.

The production cycle

Before the oyster reaches your plate, three years have passed. Three years of cultivation that require the oyster farmer’s patience and renewed care: the vagaries of the weather, the fight against predators, customary gestures…

©Ostreiculteur Au Travail Maree Basse Lesley Williamson|Lesley Williamson

1. Breeding
At the moment of reproduction, an oyster produces millions of microscopic larvae which, after 20 days, attach themselves to a rigid support. They grow in packets, which are then detached by hand and placed in oyster bags before being transported to the sea to be reared.
To help them learn to close (and build up their muscles), they are placed as close to the shore as possible, so that they are exposed to the air at every tide. Oyster farmers work daily on the oyster beds, visible at low tide all around the island.
2. Capture and stripping
In summer, the oyster lays tiny larvae from protected natural beds. These larvae wander with the currents, looking for a place to settle.
Collection takes place in the natural environment, where the oyster farmer uses supports called collectors: Roman tiles, tubes, slats, slate stakes, shells…
Once attached, the larva becomes a spat. After 4 months, it reaches 2 to 4 centimetres, or 200 times its initial size. This is when the process of detaching begins. The oyster farmer detaches the spat from the collector, and places it in a half-farm for one to two years.
3. Breeding
The actual breeding process lasts another one to two years. The oysters are placed in plankton-rich aquatic zones to encourage their growth.
Foreshore farming is favored on the Ile de Ré, on the stretch of coast uncovered by the sea during the tides. The oysters are placed in plastic bags on iron tables; the bags are emptied regularly, the oysters are graded and returned to the cleaned bags.
This natural method has been developed in France since the 1960s. The oysters are placed in bags, which are flat, rectangular, rigid black plastic mesh bags. The bags are attached to metal structures called tables. These are aligned on the foreshore. This farming method protects the oysters from siltation, limits predator attacks and allows them to benefit from the currents, ensuring excellent nutrition and better growth.
4. Refining
Once the oysters have reached marketable size, some of them undergo a final stage before being put on the market: refining. This is the last biological production stage in the rearing cycle, which consists of immersing mature oysters in water before packaging them for marketing. The purpose of refining is to modify organoleptic characteristics, to accentuate shell hardening, and to promote fattening or greening. Three types of oysters are produced on the Ile de Ré, directly linked to the maturing methods used. It is during this stage that the oyster obtains its distinctive flavor and color.
The claires
During this final stage, the adult oysters are placed in special production zones: oyster beds, or “claires”, maturing basins in less salty water, richer in plankton. These are clay basins in shallow salt marshes, where oysters can acquire a beautiful green color thanks to the presence of a microscopic algae: the blue navicula.
The fines de claires
The fines de claires have a flesh content of over 6.5. So they’re a favorite with lovers of tender, slightly fleshy oysters with a fine mouthfeel! The water in the oyster beds is purified by lagooning, giving the product exceptional properties: a tasty oyster with a powerful salt aroma to discover. Fine or special, it’s the meat content that gives the oyster its name. It’s calculated as the ratio of drained oyster flesh weight to total weight, closed shells, multiplied by 100.
The “Spéciale de Claire”, also known as “la spéciale
Spéciale de Claire oysters have a meat content of over 10.5. They are rounder, fleshier and firmer, and mature for a minimum of 4 weeks. They are more generous and longer in the mouth.
5. Calibration, determining the size of the oyster
The oysters are washed, sorted, graded and laid flat, hollow valves down, in sealed baskets, from the growers’ huts to delivery to the consumer.
The size of an oyster is coded by a system of numbers. The smaller the number, the bigger the oyster. For example, a number 5 oyster weighs between 30 and 45 grams, while a number 0 weighs over 150 grams. The most commonly sold number is 3.
When you’re out walking or cycling, take time out for a gourmet break at one of the oyster producers to enjoy oysters, shellfish and crustaceans facing the ocean or in the middle of the marshes. That’s the art of living à la rétaise!

While out walking or cycling, take time out for a gourmet break at one of the oyster producers to enjoy oysters, shellfish and crustaceans by the ocean or in the middle of the marshes. That’s the art of living à la rétaise!

©Step Five Oyster Sizing and Calibration Lesley Williamson|Lesley Williamson

©Etape Deux Captage Detroquage Lesley Williamson|Lesley Williamson

©Step Four Oyster Refining Lesley Williamson|Lesley Williamson

©Stage Three Oyster Farming Lesley Williamson|Lesley Williamson

©Stage One Oyster Production Lesley Williamson|Lesley Williamson

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