Moon Shoal Oyster Co. farms Barnstable Harbor behind Sandy Neck, where ten-foot tides and fresh water make a sweeter oyster, say the growers.
Brine4/ 5
Sweetness4/ 5
Minerality4/ 5
Umami2/ 5
USA · Crassostrea virginica · finish sweet · texture firm · lemon no · 26–31 ppt · 1–20 °C · best October to April
Basic Profile
Origin
Barnstable Harbor, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
Species
Crassostrea virginica (Eastern oyster)
Classification
Farmed; single-producer brand
Farming Method
Grown at low density from 1 mm seed, handled often, hand-harvested
Producer
Moon Shoal Oyster Co.
Visual Signature
Eastern oyster shell
Moon Shoal Oyster Co. farms in Barnstable Harbor, in the Great Marsh, a 3,800-acre salt marsh tucked behind Sandy Neck Beach and reachable only by boat, with tides of about ten feet twice a day.1
Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), the species grown here. Photo: James St. John / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Low Density, Many Hands
The growers raise their oysters from 1 mm seed at low density, handling them often to encourage cup and shape, and harvest every one by hand. They credit the harbor's sandy bottom and inflow of fresh water for a sweeter oyster.1
Flavor Breakdown
In the growers' words
A "sweeter flavor", which the farm puts down to the harbor's sandy bottom and inflow of fresh water.1
The water
Tides of about ten feet run through the Great Marsh twice a day,1 so the oysters see a lot of moving water.
What Makes Moon Shoal Unique
Moon Shoal farms in a 3,800-acre salt marsh behind Sandy Neck that you can reach only by boat, and handles its oysters by hand from 1 mm seed to harvest.1 Low density and constant handling are expensive choices; the growers make them for cup and shape.
A hand-raised oyster from a boat-only salt marsh on Cape Cod Bay, sweet by its growers' account. Pick it when you want a Cape oyster that doesn't lead with salt.
Should You Add Lemon?
No
Lemon fights the sweetness the growers are selling.
Pairing Guide
1
Unoaked Chardonnay
Enough body for a sweeter oyster, no oak to cover it.
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