A Sligo oyster company has won the seafood innovation awards at this year’s Blas na hÉireann contest.
Sligo Oyster Experience, owned by Aisling Kelly Hunter, came first in the seafood innovation award which is sponsored by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).
Paul Ward, BIM business intelligence manager, said that “Aisling Kelly Hunter’s vision is to hero Irish produced oysters, building their fanbase”.
“This has led to her expansion of the business from its original oyster farm touring and tasting experience to online seafood retailing,”he said.
“This is a prime example of a business that’s reinventing and rethinking how to get more value from Irish seafood in a way that’s sustainable,”he said.
Aisling explained the catalyst for her latest new product was a bid to keep improving efficiencies on oyster farms to maximise yield.
“Oysters are graded according to size for the fresh market. However, some oysters can have shells that are shaped in a way that’s unsuitable for sale on the market – they might be too big or too small - but still hold high quality meat,” she said.
“This is where my idea of pickling oysters emerged; removing them from their shells and using water mint and lemon balm balsamic ingredients to complement their sharp briny and rich taste,”she explained.
Aisling Kelly Hunter opened the Sligo Oyster Experience in 2018, determined to get more people to appreciate Irish produced oysters.
“I’ve created my business model around a full sensory experience where people can see, touch and enjoy the smell and taste of Irish oysters,”she said.
“The Irish language name for Sligo is Sligeach and it literally means shelly place or place abounding with shells. I want to be part of the movement to reinvigorate the region’s rich shellfish legacy,”she added.
