Sometimes you find a pearl when you least expect it.

Oakhill, Florida, is a tiny city on the map in Central Florida. It considered a “bedroom” community on the East coast of Florida, according to their web site. Oakhill is named for the abundance of trees that line the Indian River. It’s situated South of New Smyrna Beach. It was once a thriving fishing community, but now due to recent restrictions, it’s limited to cast nets. The Class A waters, however, still support these Oakhill Oysters.

I found these oysters at the local farmer’s market in Orlando last Tursday. They were offered by Wild Ocean Seafood Market, an East Coast outfit dedicated to preserving Florida Fisheries and supporting local seafood. WOSM is based at Port Canaveral and Titusville, Florida. WOSM makes two trips to Orlando’s farmer’s market, Monday’s and Thursday’s. They sell fresh local day catch, spiney lobsters (in season) and various shrimp products, which is their specialty.

I was pleasantly surprised at their bounty last week. Normally fresh oysters in Florida come from Appalachicola, not Oak Hill. According to Cinthia Sandoval, WOSM’s marketing manager, these rare beauties are large on shell and petite on meat with a fresh clean, salty flavor. Perfect for shucking and shooting.

Alas, I didn’t take the bait and buy them, I know, I know. How could SeafoodLadyOrlando not buy rare Oakhill Oysters? Two reasons. First, I had my heart set on fresh bluefish, another rare find, (see my next blog post), and Royal Red Shrimp meat. Second, there are only two in my family, and my husband, Larry, draws the line on eating oysters. So it comes down to compromise, right?

So, if you want more info about fresh Florida oysters, check out WOSM and support your local farmers market, you never know when you’ll find your pearl. Next time, I’m taking my oyster shucking knife.