Basic Profile

Origin
Henderson Inlet, South Puget Sound, Thurston County, Washington, USA
Species
Crassostrea gigas (Pacific Oyster)
Classification
Farmed; community shellfish farm run to fund water-quality work
Farming Method
Pacific oysters grown on the inlet's tidelands by staff and volunteers
Producer
Puget Sound Restoration Fund and partners
Visual Signature
Pacific oyster shell

The Henderson Inlet Community Shellfish Farm started in 2002, on tidelands that were closed to harvest because of water quality. Its partners included Washington State University, Elliott's Oyster House and the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association.1

Woodard Bay, an arm of Henderson Inlet in Thurston County, Washington
Woodard Bay, an arm of Henderson Inlet in Thurston County, Washington. Photo: Joe Mabel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Oysters as a Test

The idea was that an oyster nobody is allowed to sell is the clearest argument for fixing the water. In 2008 the water had improved enough for Henderson Inlet oysters to go on sale for the first time, through Olympia Seafood Company in downtown Olympia. All sales went back into the farm's water-quality work, and the farm set up what Rowan Jacobsen called possibly the world's first oyster CSA.2

On 27 January 2010 the Washington Department of Health upgraded 240 acres of the inlet's commercial growing area to Approved, and another 100 acres followed. The fund notes that water quality improved even as development around the inlet increased, against predictions.1

Flavor Breakdown

The water
South Sound inlets are shallow and thick with algae, so oysters fatten fast. Sweetness leads, and salt is in the background.
In Jacobsen's words
"Plump, full-flavored Pacific oysters."2

What Makes Henderson Inlet Unique

Few oysters exist to prove a point about sewage and stormwater. This one was planted on closed tidelands so that selling it would require cleaning up the inlet, and 340 acres were upgraded.1

A plump South Sound Pacific whose price pays for cleaner water. Buy it when you see it in Olympia.

Should You Add Lemon?

Yes

Sweet and full, and fine with a squeeze.

Pairing Guide

1
Washington Pinot Gris

Pear and acid for a sweet oyster.

2
Lager

Plain and cold.

OptimalLemon
AcceptableMignonette
AvoidHeavy cocktail sauce

Who Is This For?

Will love it
  • People who want their oyster money to do something
  • Olympia locals
Sources
  1. Puget Sound Restoration Fund. "Community Shellfish Farms." restorationfund.org
  2. Jacobsen, R. (20 October 2009). "Henderson Inlet Oysters." The Oyster Guide. oysterguide.com
Tasting notes & flavor profile in the Oysterminds app →