Basic Profile

Origin
Southold and the Peconic bays, North Fork of Long Island, New York, USA
Species
Crassostrea virginica (Eastern Oyster)
Classification
Farmed; brand of the Noank Aquaculture Cooperative
Farming Method
Hatchery seed from Southold, grown out by cooperative members
Producer
Noank Aquaculture Cooperative and Aeros Cultured Oyster Company (Karen Rivara and Melanie Douglass)
Visual Signature
Eastern oyster shell

Karen Rivara came to Long Island to study marine science and spent the 1980s working at the Shinnecock hatchery and at Blue Point Oyster Company. She later founded the Noank Aquaculture Cooperative and Aeros Cultured Oyster Company in the basement of a business partner's house in Shirley.1

A Hatchery on Preserved Land

Since 2000 the hatchery has operated on the 14-acre Shellfisher Preserve in Southold, land protected by the Peconic Land Trust. It was once the site of the Plock family's Shelter Island Oyster Company, founded in 1935 and closed in the late 1970s. Rivara and her partner Melanie Douglass raise three or four million oyster spat a year there.1

Peconic Pearls is the name under which the cooperative's oysters are sold, including those known locally as Little Creeks and Southold Shindigs. Five cents from every one sold goes to projects for the Peconic Estuary.1

Flavor Breakdown

The water
The Peconic bays are sheltered between Long Island's two forks, so they are less salty than the ocean side. Our scores put sweetness first and brine low.
The texture
Soft and full. This is an oyster to chew twice, because the sweetness comes after the first bite.

What Makes Peconic Pearls Unique

Few oyster brands are run as a cooperative, and fewer still write a donation into the price. The hatchery behind this one sits on an oyster company's old ground, kept from development by a land trust.1

A sweet North Fork oyster with a small levy for the bay built in. Order it when you want something gentler than a Montauk or a Fishers Island.

Should You Add Lemon?

Yes

Sweet and soft, so a squeeze gives it an edge.

Pairing Guide

1
North Fork Chardonnay, unoaked

Local, and round enough for a sweet oyster.

2
Lager

Cold and plain.

OptimalLemon
AcceptableMignonette
AvoidHeavy cocktail sauce

Who Is This For?

Will love it
  • People who prefer sweet, low-salt oysters
  • Anyone who likes their purchase to fund the water it came from
Sources
  1. Smith, T. (1 March 2019). "Karen Rivara followed a long and winding path to becoming a pioneer." Northforker. archive.northforker.com
Tasting notes & flavor profile in the Oysterminds app →