Although it is most often consumed raw with just a few drops of lemon juice, Mali Ston oyster is gastronomically very valuable and interesting for various cooking techniques. Local restaurants serve it in dishes such as soups, risottos, pastas, pan fried with different sauces, grilled or au gratin. In its fresh form, Mali Ston oyster is the richest in so-called umami, the fifth flavor which provides us with a pleasant sensation on the palate, caused by nucleotides in the oyster’s muscle.

Fresh Mali Ston oysters are best paired with a well-chilled traditional method (méthode champenoise) sparkling wine with brut, extra brut or brut nature label marks. Traditional method sparkling wines make a better choice than prosecco due to less residual sugar, firmer acid structure and additional umami which comes from ageing on the lees. When pairing local wines, it is best to look for light to medium structured dry white wines, with pronounced acidity and minerality. Such organoleptic qualities can be found in a local indigenous variety pošip, which makes a true local match with Mali Ston oyster. The freshness of pošip complements the saltiness of the fresh oyster, its moderate alcohols are rounded and soft for oyster’s succulent, sweet meat, while the minerality of the wine completely matches the minerality of oysters. The result of pairing pošip and Mali Ston oyster is an extremely pleasant, savory taste which is harmonious, long-lasting and unforgettable.