How Sanctuary Oysters Look So Pretty | Restaurant-Quality Deep Cups

It’s no secret that oysters come in all kinds of shapes and sizes! But if you’ve ever seen freshly shucked Sanctuary Oysters, you’ll instantly notice their deep cups. These full-bodied shells easily hold and maintain our oysters’ clean, natural, briny liquor. Not to mention, those deep cups allow seafood enthusiasts to pile on their favorite sauces or garnishes to their liking. That’s why our team takes pride in cultivating pristine, flavorful Pacific oysters that maintain their restaurant quality from seed to table.

At Sanctuary Oysters, we handle the production process from hatching to harvesting—ensuring every step is taken with care. But a huge factor in producing deep cups is our unique off-bottom aquaculture technique. Once our seeds develop into small oysters that are ready to grow, we place them in mesh bags that are strapped on racks above the seabed. This allows the natural flow of the tides to gently tumble our oysters against each other as they nourish themselves with nutrient-rich phytoplankton. Through this specific above-seabed practice, our oysters can grow much more in thickness rather than length—resulting in a cup that grows deeper and deeper.

That’s not the only plus side to this innovative approach. Our off-bottom aquaculture technique ensures our oysters maintain their restaurant quality all the way to our customers’ tables. By holding our oysters above the seabed, we prevent unwanted growth of epiphytes, so their shells remain pristine throughout the entire growing stage. And you know what they say about location—you can even trace our oysters’ quality to where they grow. At our farm, we ensure that our racks are placed in the intertidal area of the lagoon. This causes our oysters to be out of the water from one to three hours during low tide. The result? Our oysters are trained to live in air with no water around—causing them to close their shells tightly and keep clean sea water between their valves. This allows us to harvest fresh, juicy Sanctuary Oysters, which are then stored and shipped at low temperatures and arrive ready to be enjoyed.

When it comes to Sanctuary Oysters, we can confidently say they taste as pristine as they look. If you’re interested in checking out our oysters’ restaurant-quality deep cups, email us at info@solazul.com.mx.