Pacific oyster

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Name variations

 * Gigas oyster
 * Japanese oyster

About Pacific (Gigas) Oyster
Also called the Japanese oyster, this species has an elongated fragile shell that can reach up to a foot across. It's found along the Pacific seaboard. Because of its size, the Pacific oyster is generally cut up and used in soups, stews and other cooked dishes.

Pacific Oyster, scientifically known as Crassostrea gigas, is part of Ostreidae family. Portuguese cupped oysteris one of the largest specie of oysters, approximately thirty centimeters long. The shell has an irregular shape with fluted exterior edges. The valves differ in size: the lower valve is larger than the top valve. Portuguese cupped oysterhas a grey or white color with purple or black new growth. Pacific gigas oysters live up to twenty years, but when they are about two or four years they are collected. This specie of oysters can be found all over pacific coasts in intertidal zones to depths of six meters. Pacific oysters found in the tidal areas are usually small and slow-growing, although those in deeper waters are larger and they grow faster. Pacific gigas oysters from the southern and eastern coasts are quadrilateral in shape while those from outside of the western and southern coasts are egg-shaped. Shell weight also differ according to the water depth: Pacific oysters from the southern coast are lighter than those from the eastern coast. The dimensions and features of the Pacific oysters significantly depend on the conditions of the culture ground.