Flavoursome Oyster Safari in Grebbestad

Everts Sjöbod
After a half-hour journey between the islands, we reach the pier that belongs to Everts Sjöbod. Skipper Per Karlsson is also our oyster guide and runs the family business Grebbestadsbo with his brother Lars. They organise Oyster and Lobster Safaris, and boat trips with either crab or mackerel fishing, depending on the season. The heart of the business is Everts Sjöbod, a boathouse built in the 1800s, which has been carefully restored to include a number of unique features and objects from Bohuslän's marine heritage. The boathouse is situated in Grönemad, about two kilometres outside Grebbestad, and this is where all the excitement begins

Oyster School on the Pier
Using a special rake, Per pulls oysters straight from the seabed in front of the expectant group. We hear a detailed talk about the delicacy Ostrea Edulis – the Swedish oyster. Many people claim that the oysters outside Grebbestad are the very best. Those of us who have tried them agree.
The size, age and origin of this sought-after mollusc are discussed, whilst Per expertly opens oyster after oyster and lets us try. High levels of saltiness and strong mineral flavours tickle our taste buds: - Oh, what pleasure!
Per's daughter Hanna and her fiancé Andreas serve sparkling Oyster Champagne and locally brewed beer and porter from Grebbestad Brewery to the delight of the safari participants. We then get to  try our hands at opening our own oysters. Per shows us the correct way - we copy.
- Is that all there is to it, we laugh, and admire the results of our beginners' attempts. Hardly of competition class, but definitely good enough to be devoured there and then.

Generous Shellfish Buffet
We enter Everts Sjöbod and take the stairs up to the rustic restaurant area where an over-flowing shellfish buffet is laid out; prawns, wine-cooked mussels, Norway lobsters, freshly baked bread, prawn and shellfish salads – and oysters! Danish Anne Knudsen tells us that our Norway lobster is known by the poetic name Virgin Lobster in Danish. A virginal pleasure, every mouthful, every slurp! The Chairman of the Oyster Academy, Staffan Greby, joins the party. With great enthusiasm, he proclaims the mission of the Academy; to market and quality assure our Swedish oysters.

The Rolls Royce of Oysters
We're back on the boat and heading for one of the harvesting areas for wild oysters along the Tanum coast. Right by the shore, at a depth of two to ten metres, those oysters that have reached mature size are picked and put into large plastic baskets, similar to gardening baskets. They're then packed tightly together with seaweed in special containers, before being delivered to our restaurants and fishmongers. The price of Swedish oysters is around 25-35 SEK, significantly higher in restaurants. Cheaper alternatives include farmed oysters from Ireland, Holland or France, however these are nowhere near as rich in flavour or minerals. The oyster diver Peter Klemming explains the rules that regulate the catching of oysters.
 – The landowners must give us divers permission to pick the oysters – everything else can be fished without any restrictions, says Peter.
We're given a few more oysters, straight from the diver's basket, which we enjoy there and then ”au naturelle”.
 – Ah, like a kiss from the ocean, the Rolls Royce of Oysters – from Grebbestad!

Read more about this Oyster safari and how to book it.

Other Oyster Safaris & Packages
Grebbestad Båt - Oyster safari
Bröderna Klemming, Oyster safari
Oyster and lobster rcharter - Selin Charter
Greby's Shellfish restuarant, Grebbestad
Karingos oyster bar

Accommodation with Oysters
Sydkoster Hotel Ekenäs
TanumStrand
Stora Hotellet i Fjällbacka
Bryggan Fjällbacka
Björholmens Marina