A tidal wave of oysters is about to arrive in Pittsburgh!
For the fourth year in a row, Wholey’s – the famous Strip District fish market – is hosting their annual Oyster Fest.
Oyster festivals are a common occurrence in ocean towns during the month of November. A few years ago, Wholey’s decided to bring this seaside celebration to Pittsburgh.
The festival has grown every year since it began. A few years ago, Wholey’s brought in four or five cases for the event. This year, they plan to have 25,000 fresh oysters on deck for hungry customers!
For the 2017 rendition of the event, Wholey’s has selected a dozen types of East Coast oysters, including James River, Chesapeake Bay, Malpeque, Well Fleet, Fat Baby, Connecticut Blue Points and more.
“It’s like a wine tasting,” says Wholey’s seafood manager John McNally. “There are so many different varieties from every region of the world. They all have different flavors and tastes.”
McNally is personally excited about the ‘Fat Baby,’ an oyster from Long Island.
The festival is held over two weekends, on both Saturday and Sunday, November 4 – 5, and November 11 – 12.
Guests will enjoy shucking demonstrations, oyster tastings, and recipe suggestions. On the restaurant side, guests can enjoy fresh Chesapeake Bay deep water oysters, fried oysters, Oyster Rockefeller, and oyster po’boys.
Wholey’s encourages guests to create a oysters sampling, and learn more about the nuances in flavor. Customers will be able to take home closed oysters, frozen oysters in a half shell, and breaded oysters.
Wholey’s hosts cooking demonstrations every Saturday, and Oyster Fest is no exception. Stop in on November 4 at 10:00 a.m. to learn how to make Oyster Rockefeller, and on November 11 at 10:00 a.m. for stuffed oysters.
More information on Wholey’s Oyster Fest can be found online.
Wholey’s Fish Market (1711 Penn Avenue)
judy sanders says
sounds wonderful!!!
Fisher3 says
If you’ve ever been to Long Island, you’d question eating anything out of the bay
Merritt Fennell says
Need prices for ostyers