Ladies Pass
Crassostrea virginica
Wild-harvested from Galveston Bay's Ladies Pass Reef. Large, firm oyster with high salinity, mouth-watering brine, sweet notes, and complex umami flavors with hints of asparagus and green bean.
Flavor Profile
Finish
Strong umami sea taste, lingering vegetable notes
Expert Notes
Ladies Pass oysters from Galveston Bay's high-salinity waters are mouth-wateringly salty and sweet with a distinctively chewy texture. The crinkled bill signals their robust brine, while lingering flavors of asparagus and green bean create complexity alongside a strong umami sea taste. These wild-harvested oysters are twice as big and twice as firm as most East Coast varieties, proving that Gulf oysters from the right location can compete with any in the country. Origin & Characteristics
- Species
- Crassostrea virginica
- Native to
- USA
- Grown in
- Ladies Pass Reef, East Bay, Galveston Bay, Texas
- Size
- Large (4-6 inches)
- Shell Color
- Gray-white with crinkled bill
- Meat Color
- Light gray to cream
What Experts Say
Across 7 sources, tasters describe this oyster as:
Unique notes: asparagus, green bean, mouth-watering
"Mouth-wateringly salty, sweet and chewy, with lingering flavors of asparagus and green bean and a strong umami sea taste on the back of the palate. These were twice as big and twice as firm as most East Coasters. These snappy Galveston bivalves proved that Gulf oysters from the right spot can compete with any in the country."
saltysweetchewyasparagusgreen bean
"The East Bay oysters, especially those from Pepper Grove, Elm Grove and Ladies' Pass were the most popular among the tasters I polled. These were the southernmost reefs represented and the oysters were the briniest."
brinysalty
"Tracy Woody of Jeri's Seafood heads out to the old reefs all over Galveston Bay and slurps bivalves the moment they're pulled from the water. If the catch from places with names like Ladies Pass or Pepper Grove passes his quality-control test, they'll be sold as 'appellation select oysters' and command top dollar from eager customers."
high-qualityselect
"Ladies' Pass oysters are from one of the named oyster beds in East Galveston Bay. Where in the gulf an oyster grew up affects its size and taste. Oystermen can sell Pepper Grove or Ladies' Pass oysters for twice as much as generic oysters."
distinctivepremium
About the Farm
Jeri's Seafood
Tracy Woody of Jeri's Seafood selects oysters from specific reefs like Ladies Pass in East Galveston Bay, quality-testing them at harvest and marketing them as appellation select oysters.
- Cultivation Method
- wild harvest
History & Background
Ladies Pass is a historic oyster reef in Galveston Bay's East Bay, near Smith Point. Part of a sophisticated oyster industry dating to the late 1800s when Galveston was known as the Wall Street of the West and had distinct oystering areas throughout the 600 square miles of Galveston Bay. The Great Hurricane of 1900 wiped out the fishing fleet and restaurants, and while the industry returned, most oysters were shipped out of state until the locavore movement sparked a rediscovery of Galveston Bay's named reefs around 2010.
Ladies Pass represents the revival of Texas oyster appellations, with these wild-harvested oysters commanding premium prices (up to twice as much as generic Gulf oysters). The reef was featured in a landmark 2010 Foodways Texas symposium that reintroduced 12 different Galveston Bay appellations to modern consumers.
Did You Know?
- Ladies Pass oysters can be sold for twice the price of generic Gulf oysters due to their distinctive terroir
- The reef is located in the southernmost part of East Galveston Bay, resulting in the briniest oysters in the bay system
- Rowan Jacobsen, noted East Coast oyster expert, proclaimed that Galveston Bay oysters could compete with any in the country after tasting Ladies Pass
- The crinkled bill shell is a sign of oysters grown in high-salinity environments
Sources & References
This information was compiled from 7 sources.
- Pepper Grove and Ladies Pass (Galveston Bay) — The Oyster Guide
- Pearls of the Oyster World — Houstonia Magazine
- A Dozen Galveston Oysters from 12 Different Reefs — Robb Walsh
- Ladies Pass Oyster — OysteRater.com
- An Appellated Gulf Oyster? — cravedfw
- An Oyster by Any Other Name — Southern Spaces
- Wine Has Terroir; Oysters Have 'Merroir,' and We'll Pay More For It — Houston Press
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Learn More
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