San Diego County’s Oyster and Mussel Aquafarm Making Waves With Sustainability Practices
The Carlsbad Kraken Oyster
Carlsbad Aquafarm has its beginnings in the early 1950s when the Cabrillo Power Station was built. They set up an aquaculture research facility on the southwest shore of Agua Hedionda Lagoon to figure out how to improve the lagoon's ecological health. The research determined that shellfish were essential for a healthy lagoon and could help sustain diverse marine life, shorebirds, and wildlife. It wasn’t until the 90’s that oysters were raised here and the growth of the aquafarm has exploded since then!
Partnering with the City of Carlsbad, and NRG’s they are working to continue the growth of the aquafarm and breed more resilient oysters for a brighter future of the species. These tasty bivalves filter millions of gallons of water a day and are a vital species that allows the sensitive waterways to flourish. Their continued work is necessary for the growth of plants, fish, and birds in the lagoon!
The Carlsbad Blonde Oyster
The sustainability of these oysters is wildly impressive using a 1/3 of the carbon emissions per pound than traditional beef production, making them a far better use of our vital resources. The mussels are also incredibly sustainable — their “Blue Water Footprint” uses 6 gallons of water per pound of mussels versus 80 gallons for beef and 60 gallons for Impossible protein.
We stopped by to take a personal tour and experience their sustainable seafood tasting… and we were blown away with their impressive work!
The future of the Carlsbad Aquafarm is bright!
We had the chance to taste several different oysters including their famous “Carlsbad Blondes”, a deep cupped oyster that is briny and delicious, and their “Carlsbad Kraken”, an oversized 5-8 inch oyster perfect for throwing on the grill. We were surprised with the quality and tastiness of these, but my favorite reason to get these are the prices! At $25-$30 a dozen, for their “Luna” and “Blondes”, these are perfect for picking up before a dinner party!
Oyster Tasting!
Their team showcased a variety of oysters and showed us how to properly shuck — a skill that we both need some more practice on! We highly recommend learning from these professionals as they are skilled at teaching the novice how to not accidentally hurt themselves!
The deep cup is prized among oyster connoisseurs
As we slurped and snacked on fresh raw oysters, they started the preparation for their Carlsbad Mussels! A “break room” recipe, as they called it, was the choice for today! A coconut milk curry stew with a pound of fresh mussels — perfect for a cold Carlsbad morning!
Their talented team cooking up some local mussels!
As we sipped the broth, the grill is fired up and the massive “Kraken” Oysters appear! After a helping of butter and spices, these bad boys are thrown on the grill where they cook into a firm meaty bite. It’s perfect for those who don’t enjoy the raw flavors of their smaller cousins!
The Kraken getting ready for their time on the grill!
Next up is one of their sustainable sourced products from their partner farm down south in the chilly waters of Peru - Scallops! These sustainable Sechura Bay Scallops are meaty, firm, and have a subtle sweetness, perfect for a raw ceviche or grilled on the half shell with some spicy chilies and ponzu sauce!
After being filled up with tons of seafood we are given a quick tour where we learn about the life cycle of the Oysters. They have an adorable touch tank where you can feel and learn about how these creatures grow! Next we learn about their rinsing system and how they flush their seafood out prior to selling, they are definitely clean and ready to go after a soak of up to 44 hours!
The rinsing tank!
They are continuing to expand with other offerings at the farm as well. Using aquaculture practices such as combining fish with plants they are growing herbs, veggies and even some super premium wasabi, where the blue gill fish are the source of fertilizer!
After all that learning and eating, it was safe to say we were full of oysters from top to bottom! This sustainable tasting is definitely a foodie approved activity and perfect for those looking for a unique, family friendly, and tasty experience!
Although the sustainable seafood tasting is not available at the moment we highly recommend checking out their Sunset Oyster Tour & BBQ Tasting for an incredible time!
Enter for Extra Credit
Enter below to receive an extra credit for a Sunset Tour and Tasting for two at the Carlsbad Aquafarm!