What is an Oyster?

OYSTER: Common name for bivalve (Hinged shell) MOLLUSKS, including true oysters (order Osteroida) and trpoical pearl oysters (order Pterioida), found primarily in temperate and warm shallow waters. True Oysters have been cultivated for centuries and are often used for food. Their shells are irregular in outline and fixed to the surface by the left (lower) valve or half shell. They are divided according to whether young are brooded within the shell, or wheter development occurs free in the plankton. Incubatory oysters have no commercial significance in Canada, although a substantial fishery for the Olympic oyster (Ostrea lurida) existed on the West Coast until its depletion in 1930. An attempt has been made to introduce the European flat Oyster (O. edulis) to N. S. Nonincubatory oysters (e.g. eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, and Pcific oyster, C. gigas) support significant aquaculture operations on both coasts.

Our Committment and Dedication to Quality

Cultivated with back-breaking labor, this luxury food could once again become a trusted delicacy that can only be found from the cool, clean, non-contaminated, Northern waters of Prince Edward Island. We at Burleigh Brothers Seafoods Ltd want to guarantee you a non-contaminated product, so we have extensive testing done on a regular basis to ensure just that. So that you know that you are getting clean, non-contaminated meat when you buy our products.

Nutritional Value - Oysters are Healthy

Happily, oysters can be guzzled with no guilt feelings, because they're good for you. Their flesh is as protein-rich as a lean beef, with one percent of its fat, no cholesterol and lots of good vitamins and minerals. With fewer then ten calories apiece, uncooked, they are a perfect food for dieting. The world-wide reputation of the Malpeque dates from 1900 when Oysters from Burleigh Brothers' Main Bed (Peter Creek Bed) was judged as being the tastiest oyster in the world (even after crossing the Atlantic by steamer) and thus won the highest award at the Paris Exhibition.

Article from Reader's Digest - August, 1982

"There is little comparison to the briny sensations experienced when you swallow your first Malpeque Oyster. Chill, gray, moist, delicate as a misty morning. It will conjure on your tounge all of the wraiths and fragrances of the moody sea. Every port of call boasts "The finest oysters in the world" and the "best" way of eating them. In the Oyster Bar at New York's Grand Central Station, you can get welfleets from Cape Cod Bay, as well as Bluepoints from Long Island Sound served with horseradish-tomato dip. London's Colchester Natives, dusted faintly with red pepper, spring on the taste buds like the onslaught of a press gang. On the rocky shores of Brittany in France, the esteemed Belon is relished with a spike of lemon and a chilled Muscadet wine. But the Malpeque is best eaten the PEI oysterman's way: No pepper, no dip, no lemon - just open the oyster, kiss it off the shell, and crush it on the palate."