Everyone hope you're having an amazing day! It's Mark Wiens I'm in Charleston South Carolina which is a beautiful city and it's known for incredible food and especially Seafood Just look at how beautiful that is that is a pillow with caviar inside of it. The best chicken nugget you've ever had! Oh that's a broth of Wonders Today we are going to go on a seafood tour of Charleston but especially focusing on oysters and the first thing that we're gonna do is go to Barrier Island Oyster Company where they produce some of the best quality oysters in all of the United States that's just like a little treasure within your oyster. Yeah and then we're going to come back to Charleston and we're going to go to a couple of restaurants that feature oysters that are seafood restaurants and enjoy some amazing food. So we're gonna see the farm to table process of oysters and incredible Seafood coming up that I Can't wait to share with you in Charleston South Carolina Man it is an extremely beautiful day that was about a 45 minute drive from Central Charleston out here.

so peaceful, so calm. We're on the edge of the water, passed through so many just tunnels of live oak trees and this is where we're gonna meet up with Josh and the team from: Barrier Island Oyster Company Josh from Barrier Island Oyster Company and daddy very cool to meet you Josh what do you guys do here? So out here at Barry Allen Oyster Company We Farm single oysters from seed to Market size in floating gear and we have a nursery here! on land which we'll start and show you the beginning of the process when the oysters are about one millimeter long Wow! And then we'll take you out to the farm and show you the rest of the process, how they get to be Market sized and how they get their shape and their flavor and their and what they look like. So we're really excited to have you along for the ride today and looking forward to it. The new seed delivery that we got last week.

Wow! These are what we call our twos now. Some of them are probably a little bit bigger. now they've been in the water and growing. okay, um, R2 means they retained on a two millimeter screen because they're probably getting closer to R3 or maybe even some R4 size.

Which means they're getting ready to go to the farm. This is 500 000 oysters, 500 000 oysters and in that small little and well, about four hundred and one. Okay, yeah, all together. Wow.

Um, and they're probably they're between one and two millimeters and we we hope to move the majority of them out to the farm thank you very much. In the cooler mode so below below 50 or 45 degrees and it depends what you ask. It's early, but like in those cooler water months they will actually not close up completely. but they will feed very little.

All right that that is actually also a really good time to harvest them. But we really love love what the oysters do for the waterways. I Mean they they help limit erosion, their habitat for species, they filter and clean the water. Wild oysters do a lot for for the Low Country not just in terms of what they produce from a food and economic standpoint, but how they benefit the the Upland to keep it from flooding and limit the impact of Storms and everything else.

So everything that we can do to increase the number of wild oysters out here we do. One of the things that Josh is telling me right here as we're on the boat ride is the importance of oysters in the natural habitat in the ecosystem. And why exactly is that? Josh oysters are what we call a keystone species. They provide habitat for a little baby shrimp, little baby fish, baby crabs in an oyster.

Reef You will find over a hundred species that grows, rely on those reefs to exist and then grow up and go to meet other parts of our economy and our culture that provide recreational fishing and shrimping. and they bring the food to seafood restaurants that we all rely on and love so much and are part of what Charleston is. And at the same time, they're also slowing down the impacts of erosion and wave energy during storms. they're they're allowing us to minimize flooding, They're helping the marsh to grow and stay healthy without the oyster we don't have Coast Okay, so we we made it out here to one of the oyster farms where there's these floating cages full of oysters Todd's going out now.

it's ripping. So that's what we saw in those tanks. Yes, and they're getting. and now they're going here going into the ocean.

Those oysters will start a new life. And how long the time range that it takes them to grow to a size that's good to sell and eat? Yeah, good question. So when we get them at that one to two millimeter size, it's going to be 12 to 18 months before they close 18 months. Okay, this winch is a Javid arm with a winch on.

Oh cool. and uh. it makes lifting these cages when they're full of oysters possible. Where previously they took three of us standing over the side trying not to follow him, pick it up with your Yeah by hand.

Yeah, oh that is awesome. So you can see a little bit of what I was talking about before with the still good following on here. So the the seaweed and the Barnacles that grow on here just a short period of time will ultimately restrict the cage heavy. Then they start to collect on these bags themselves and inside these bags is where the oysters are.

Oh okay. um. and so you want to get as much water into these oysters as you can? The food is what you say. more flow, more, grow.

Okay so as I was mentioning on the dock, you can see these rings on the oyster essentially like rings on the tree each time it is tumbled and uh, stressed. As we say, it lost some of this outer very thin part of its shell and that creates a ring. And when that happens, the oyster then secretes more of the calcium carbonate within the main part of the shell creating that cup and that nice thick shell that's so easy to shuck. Which is something else that we have learned over time is you know when you're selling to restaurants which is primarily what we do.

They really need a product that their Shuckers can turn out quickly and and looking really nice. All right, Well that is a C-cloud that is a C Cloud and what exactly are C Cloud Clouds C Clouds is our label so to speak. Uh, it's our single oyster. It is the same species of single oyster that is Every east Coast single oyster starts as Um, but we believe that the care and attention and nurturing and also the fortunate flavor of this Waterway produces a unique product.

A very high quality product that we call C Cloud. and oh wow yeah, so pure a great brininess. Oh and then I think one of the amazing factors about this oysters, it just melts in your mouth. I mean this is just beautiful.

Also like a lid on the top and that cup that cup on the bottom. It's just yeah. Look at how deep that is. Perfect.

That's where all the meat is. Um and again, the meat to Shell ratio that we talk about it. You can tell when you look at this lid that the meat goes all the way to here and there's not a lot of extra fingernail or whatever you know coming off the end. There it's just.

it's just oyster. This little guy. We find these in the oysters not all the time, but you know certain months of the year and they typically only end up in oysters where the water is very clean. Um, they're They're traditionally considered to be good luck.

you don't have to eat it, but we we certainly encourage you to go ahead and do it if you want. Oh so you could. Oh with the crab. Bonus! This is awesome.

Will be a first for me. An oyster with a little crab inside of the shell that's just like a a little treasure within your oyster? Yeah, you get that little crunch of the of the crab. Yeah yeah. I Just cannot believe the the beautiful shape of these sea clouds that cup.

it's almost a half. Circle that's that's how deep they are Trulia Remarkable oyster. Remarkable quality here. Where we dump large amounts of this kind of shell, it can be another.

Reef Okay so we put it along here and we dump. We dump a lot of bushels of shell along this area and that allows us to essentially create a new reef over time. Um, it's one of the one of the restoration things that we do. We also break down large oysters on different reefs to spread them out.

We put bamboo Stakes out to catch spat and create new reefs. So there's a lot of a lot of different things you can put into the Waterway. They're natural that add substrate that improve the recruitment process and ultimately grow more reefs. Yeah, that was incredibly cool to see the process from seed to where they plant the oysters and then how they nurture them and Grill them and even shape the oysters.

That was fascinating and such a learning experience from here. We're driving back to Charleston and we're going to go to a couple restaurants. that number one they serve the oysters from Barrier Island These are some of the best oysters that you'll find in Charleston in South Carolina But we're gonna eat some amazing seafood and definitely a lot more oysters. We are going to a restaurant that's called the Ordinary right behind me.

It's in a historic building. it's raw oyster. Seafood Bar It looks incredible and at the back of the restaurant is where the raw seafood Oyster Bar is I Ordered the single platter including a dozen plus a few I Got wanted to try some Of the dressed oysters that they have here too. Shrimp, some fish I believe but just it looks incredible.

All right, this is our tray going in. Oh that's awesome, That's the platter. We ordered all the oysters, a couple dressed oysters, the shrimp, and some raw fish on the platter. Beautiful! I Guess it's going to be delivered to our table right now.

Wow! this place is spectacular. It is in Grand like Ballroom Hall I Love the incredibly high ceiling on the I guess as you come in on the right hand side it's a huge bar I love how tall it is and then on this side it's more of a dining room with tables where you can family seating but there's booths. So much character! Such a cool place! Oh nice, thank you very much We got the extra special. Just look at this amazing ice platter of oysters and shelter it's in.

Absolutely incredible. We've got four different types of oysters, including some of the legendary sea clouds from Barrier Island Oyster Company I'm gonna go ahead and begin with one of the dressed oysters since they're right in front of here and they're already dressed and good to go. Look at the beauty of this oyster. The bottom of it, that body, um all that.

I didn't even chew, it just slid right down. melt in your mouth. oh that refreshing crunch of the Cucumber just that light vinegar and then that mint can brighten it up. Oh yeah, that is incredible delicious.

Next oyster, we gotta try those C-clouds Check out that unique shape. They're kind of long and slender and very deep. And for the sea? Club Because I know it's so good. I'm just going to squeeze lemon on it.

What? Um, wow. it's like it's so clean tasting. just the perfect brininess. Not over salty, but not under salted, but just that perfect balance.

A Harmony Again, when you eat an oyster, you're tasting nature at like its purest. You're tasting the the seawater ecosystem at its finest. and that is. Wow! That's a top oyster right there.

Try this one next or this one. I'm gonna dress it with cocktail sauce with a bit of extra horseradish. That combination. amazing how every oyster has a different flavor.

these varieties. this one is almost more nutty. I Love that horseradishu not actually overpowering, but that boost of excitement. Okay, this one next oyster and I think I'll try hot sauce on this one.

That one is meaty and again a different taste. Almost tastes like a clam to me that one. Great texture, good hot sauce. fourth oyster and final variety.

Go back to the lemon. Oh that one is sweet. Gonna move into the shrimp now. I mean you can eat the whole shell because they are I think the shell is pretty soft but then he tosses it in this spice mixture I think you do peel it though.

you can dip into the horseradish cocktail sauce. Oh you taste that seasoning that he tossed onto those shrimp. kind of like a salty Smoky paprika kind of seasoning. man those shrimp are sweet.

okay. and then finally that raw raw fish. Oh it's almost like a salad. Okay oh that's delicious.

Oh it's so pure. I Thought it was going to be some kind of a sauce on it, but it's almost pure with a like a little bit of a seasoning. salt on it, melts in your mouth, love the texture and then with those herbs that like brings it away. Oh yeah, that's the location.

Okay for the clam. I think I'm going cocktail sauce. Clams have a little bit of a stronger taste than some of the oysters. A bit of a bitterness to it, sweet bitterness, love the texture of that.

Wow, it's crunchy and slimy all at the same time and so good. The sweetness, the freshness, the melt in your mouth qualities of these oysters. Absolutely superb. I'm starting to do a little bit of a an oyster high.

This is that crab rice for you guys. Thank you! Have a few more oysters to go, but the main dish has arrived. I Got the crab with rice there's an egg on Top This Is Beautiful There's some okra dressed with wow oh that's just like shredded. Oh it's the lump crab with rice.

There's squash on here. Oh immediately, the crab just bursts with flavor on your first bite. Oh what? I love about this is it looks like there's so much going on in your bowl. It's actually very light.

Very driven by that crab. Nothing overpowers the flavor of that crab, but everything works together in this harmony of fluffy rice and squash and just very light seasoning that just accentuates that crab. We're gonna open that egg. Oh yeah, looks like a poached egg.

Oh man. I might add just a little sprinkle of this hot sauce because it will be really good. Thank you! Yeah! got some delicate really good. Welcome to Chubby Fish! It's kind of tucked off the main road into the neighborhood.

Beautiful place! Oh I Love the look of it already I Know it's a warm friendly place and they serve you some of the greatest Seafood in Charleston So cool to meet you. So cool to meet you and you're just explaining about the menu and all the different local. Seafoods and I was just I Was just thinking that one of the great signs of a great seafood restaurant is one that has no printed menu because everything should be seasonal, right? right? So that's really what you guys exactly specialize in it. Sometimes we don't even know the menu uh, until like 11 A.M or 12 p.m So it's just depending on what exactly depends on what's available, what you guys can get for the day? Yes, uh.

so the sauce on this is gonna be. uh, smoked yellowfin tuna bones. That's where all that gelatin and collagen comes from. So we steeped out with a ginger scallion, rice, wine vinegar, uh, soy sauce and then a little bit of sake.

This is the smoked yellowfin tuna itself. Ah so. Pickled tomatillos, puffed rice, and mint is a little bit of jalapeno vinaigrette on the bottom. Wow! and this is going to be the caviar sandwich.

Thank you White Surgeon Caviar it's coming out of North Carolina And then we have a little bit of whipped cream fresh on top. Okay, here we go. Sea Cloud In a restaurant setting, I'm going to add a dab of this jelly. Oh wow.

Oh, that jelly. Amberjack bone jelly. It's just this poof of smokiness actually. Oh, that works beautifully.

I Think because the jelly is almost a similar texture as the oyster. It just all just melts in your mouth. but you've got that proof of smokiness. I Love them when they're on ice so they're chilled.

So refreshing. So good. Let's try one just with the squeeze of lemon only. Wow again, the sea clouds.

They just melt in your mouth like very little chewing is needed. Yo-yo and Chef James they brought out a dish of chilies and fish sauce. Oh yes! I Can't wait! And we got a whole fish too. so that's gonna be perfect for eating with the whole fish.

Okay so we've got the amberjack here. Beautifully dressed. We just slide out a piece here. Hmm.

oh wow, that is the local amberjack. Talk about milk in your mouth. The texture of that is beautiful. And you know how sometimes you can get fish that has kind of like some little hard veins running through it? This is just a complete piece of butter.

I Love the the herbaceous accents to it, the mint in there. Oh and then because the the entire piece of fish is buttery. but then you've got the crunch of those little rice on there that gives it an amazing crunch that's superb. That's exceptional.

Wow. Um, so what we do is we take a little bit of nori. uh, throw a little rice into your Nori the beef on top and hold it up. Okay and we've got a little bun filled with caviar.

Oh man, the bread is so you can feel how soft and delicate it is. Oh that's insane. The caviar. The buttered roll.

It's crispy and So Soft that is a pillow with caviar inside of it. Oh, it's superb. Just look at how beautiful that is. Oh man.

very finely diced wagyu. Chef James Said to take one of the pieces of nori the seaweed, add a little bit of rice, add some of the the wagyu tartar such a beautiful tartar too and roll it up in a one biter. It's just bite after bite here. trigger Fish Tempura Chef himself said it tastes like chicken nuggets.

Almost. That's awesome. I'll try it with a little bit of that sauce like a chicken nugget. Well like the best chicken nugget who ever you've ever had.

Oh Trigger Fish I'm not sure if I've ever had it. You can feel the oiliness of it. The flavor is superb. It's juicy, it's moist, and that batter that they've done for that tempura is so light.

I think I'll squeeze some lemon for this bite. Wow, that is, uh, the fish nugget of your dreams. It's so good. Wow, they're so good.

Then there's a little bit of white soy to dress it with. Okay and then we have all of our really awesome local vegetables. This is kind of is that is all that creaminess coming from the fish. Yeah and it is surprisingly added creaminess.

everything. Wow. Then we add a little bit more horseradish to it. Okay, there's some mirin in that broth as well.

What are these little flowers? This is garlic chai flowers. Ah, it says poached tile fish shall we? smoked a towel fish bones and we make the broth out of that and we poach the fish and all the vegetables there. What a dish! So many things in here. local vegetables.

maybe sometimes it's squash. Wow, look at the creaminess of that broth. Oh okay, oh that is that's a broth of Wonders It's like a very firm texture, but you can feel the small grains of the fish at the same time. It really holds up in a soup like this and it's just like powering.

You taste the smokiness of those smoked bones that have been boiled down amazingly. The horseradish is very mild, just provides this creamy. Aroma It's not like a strong Wasabi horseradish, some of those vegetables. that broth.

awesome. Great ingredients, putting them together in a knowledgeable way to enhance the natural ingredients, but so well done. it's going to be a roasted bone marrow. Okay, you mix that with a um chili paste.

okay A little bit of mayo? Yeah, we make this bread here in house sourdough bread so we're gonna pile our shrimp on top. Oh man. I know you guys like oh yeah, that's the melted bone marrow that melted in a man oh man. Awesome dish.

that's cool. Thank you Oh man. this is just plate after plate. My taste buds are just loving every moment of this meal.

This one is a grilled Pompano with a ginger scallion sauce. Oh man and come to think of it, it's kind of rare to get a whole fish in the United States I always think whole fish are I mean that's where the flavor is and Pompano is a among one of my favorite fish in the world. The freshness of the fish, that texture that stringiness then that ginger scallion has a little bit of an acidity to it. I'm not sure if that's vinegar but a beautiful acidity.

The crunch of the ginger, the scallions which are actually not overpowering, but just give it a nice aroma. Superb. So good. so fresh.

Squeeze lime on it. but look at the the inside of this meat, you can see how fresh it is, the texture of that and how it's just perfectly cooked. I'm gonna add on a little more of that ginger scallion sauce. Foreign.

Spectacular. Okay and then the next dish we got is the bone marrow dish with shrimp fried shrimp on top I Don't think I've ever had that combination. jalapenos and cilantro. Wow! So I think you just scoop in with a spoon.

Bone Marrow: Oh man, you can feel how tender oh that bone marrow. Look at that bone marrow. Let's put a sprig of cilantro on top. Oh man.

so good. So I need to sit back in my chair after that bite. The richness of that marrow just melts melted butter. Then you've got the contrast of the crunch of that shrimp that is Rich that's flavorful.

What a unique and creative combination. Place a jalapeno on top I might add a few more chilies to this bite and then Chase it with a their home baked sourdough that is insanely flavorful and then this is going to be the chili Garlic shrimp. Wow okay oh man, that fish Hit me hard. I'm starting to slow down, but two more dishes that we're gonna try.

One is the smoked fish curry I believe. And then we've got the garlic shrimp over rice. Wow. It's so creamy.

So creamy. It's nutty too. Oh nutty and creamy. Wow.

And I Love how the herbs are in here. The radish and citrus? okay. and open up the cilantro. Check this out.

This is the garlic shrimp. Looks like all men full of garlic. Chili's in here. Oh wow yeah.

the green onions in there. the chilies. There's a beautiful sourness to it, the garlic and those shrimp are so plump. What a texture to those shrimp.

Wow. Incredible. Oh man. so full and so happy.

That was a lot of dishes and literally every dish that we tried was unique in its own way and just phenomenal. This is not fried chicken, so it's waffle ice cream inside and then it's dipped in a dulce de leche shell. Wow. rodent.

Corn Flakes And then this is the last of the uh, each sorbet. Wow. The desserts are made by a lady who is called Life Lifecraft treats. Oh yeah, and it's cleverly named, not fried chicken.

Yeah, ice cream in the center. Then there's this crunchy, almost like a butterscotch tasting crunchy batter. Okay, and then finally, this Amazing. Peach sorbet.

Oh wow. Oh Ying Oh, that one is amazing. Oh, that's phenomenal. The real peach.

Not like, oh, and that's the perfect way to end this meal. Oh men, chubby fish that was phenomenal meal. All I can say is when you are in South Carolina in Charleston make sure that you seek out some sea clouds. They are some of the most incredible oysters that you'll ever taste.

I Hope this gives you some ideas for what to do and what to eat when you're in. Charleston So a huge thank you for watching this video. Please remember to give it a thumbs up if you enjoyed it. Leave a comment below I'd love to hear from you and also make sure you subscribe for lots more food and travel videos.

Good night from Charleston South Carolina See you on the next video.