Oysters, Muscles and homemade wine--on the way to Dubrovnik

islands off Adriatic Coast near Dubrovnik

On our drive to Dubrovnik from Korcula along Croatia's stunning Adriatic coast, we stopped for a very special lunch of oysters and muscles, fresh from the clear waters of the Mediterranean.  An excursion to taste oysters and wine is pretty typical for this part of the coast, but our host had clearly thought about how to make his customers' experience truly unique.

an oyster farm

Denis and his family have one of the many oyster farms found in the long, narrow bays that form the Adriatic coast.  They also own the tip of a densely wooded peninsula that is now protected from development.  He decided to set up a charming picnic spot on his family's land for his wonderful version of the oyster and wine lunch.  He built 3 long outdoor tables and benches of split logs, two flush toilets, and, recently, a small kitchen and covered eating space in case of rain.  He brings water from the mainland by boat, storing it in a large tank above the picnic area and treats his waste water in another large tank before discharging it into the bay away from the picnic site.
Inside the kitchen are a sink with fresh water, two large propane burners, a refrigerator, rack for wine glasses, dishwasher and storage for everything he needs.  The meal is very simple--fresh oysters on the half shell, with only a squirt of lemon, muscles cooked to perfection in seawater and served on a sauce of olive oil, white wine, garlic and onions, fresh bread and wine made by Denis' father.  So, you get to sit in this quiet, shady spot looking out at the Mediterranean, enjoying an incredible, absolutely fresh meal, cooked just for you as you relax and watch.  If shellfish aren't for you, Denis grills zucchini fresh from his garden and adds bread and cheese.

Denis preparing muscles in kitchen he built

He started his business 7 years ago.  Now, he is so busy that his business supports 2 families.  During the tourist season, from April to the end of October, he hosts 5 different private parties, ranging from 2 to 25 people every day.  Each party gets its own private transfer by boat, tour of the oyster farm, fresh-cooked meal of oysters and muscles taken from the ocean that morning and lecture on oyster and muscle-farming.  It takes 6 people, all family members, to serve their guests during the summer.  His biggest customers are the cruise lines that pour into Dubrovnik during the tourist season.  But, never are there more than 25 guests at one time.
In the winter, the entire family tends the oyster and muscle farms.  Because there are millions of snails on the sea floor that live on oysters, the oyster farmers put out rows of plastic line, many filaments per line, for the baby oysters to attach to as they drift about on the currents.  That way, they won't attach to rocks where the snails will kill and eat them (the snail secretes a chemical that bores a small hole into the oyster shell, killing the oyster.  The shell pops open and in goes the snail for its feast.).

muscles in the pot

When the oysters get to be year old, the farmers cement 2 oysters back to back around the plastic line so they can't fall off.  Oysters can only attach once, so this is the only way to make sure they don't drop to the sea floor.  They are ready to eat when they are 3 years old.  Denis said the farming is not a lot of work, but is very slow.  Oysters need very clean water to survive.  Denis pointed out all the sea urchins on the shallow rocks, telling us that where there are no sea urchins cleaning pollutants from the water, there will be no oysters.
When we bring a group here, this will be one of our stops which we'll all remember.