By Alex Owens
The world may or may not be Jason McLeod’s oyster, but as the executive chef at Ironside Fish & Oyster, he does have something few others have — one of his own.
McLeod recently commissioned an oyster exclusive to the Little Italy eatery and believes his restaurant in San Diego to have its own exclusive bivalve.
Dubbed the “Ironside Select,” the exclusive oyster has been served at the restaurant since early October.
As unique as the oyster is, McLeod admits the details are more rooted in business basics.
“It’s really more about volume,” he said. “The farms won’t grow oysters for you unless you have the volume.”
Despite being open for less than a year, Ironside has proven to have the volume necessary to make it worthwhile for Minterbrook Oyster Company, the Puget Sound-based oyster farm McLeod entrusted with the job.
“Oysters take on the qualities of where they grow,” McLeod said. “That’s what makes them oysters. Minterbrook takes the seedlings and puts them in a setting where they take on the terroir of their surroundings.”
(Photo by Lyudmila Zotora)
McLeod had a specific flavor profile in mind when he decided to get an exclusive oyster.
“I see this as an oyster for beginners,” he said. “It’s not too briny, but still complex, with a touch of sweetness and a lot of meat-to-shell ratio.”
Still, he admits no one can tell an oyster’s true personality during the seedling stage.
“We don’t know what it’s like until it’s fully grown,” he said.
The Ironside Select currently sells for $1 during happy hour, and has been quite popular. That pleases McLeod, who said he was shocked that there aren’t more oyster-oriented restaurants in town, considering its waterfront location.
“I was very surprised by one unfavorable review where the writer asked why I thought people would like oysters,” he said. “I was gratified when we sold all 1,800 of our Ironside Selects last weekend.”
Ironside Fish & Oyster is located at 1654 India St. For more information, visit ironsidefishandoyster.com.
—Alex Owens is a San Diego-based freelance writer. He can be reached at [email protected].
