Basic Profile

Origin
Great Peconic Bay, west of Robins Island, Southampton, New York, USA
Species
Crassostrea virginica (Eastern Oyster)
Classification
Farmed on a historic underwater oyster grant
Farming Method
Grown on a private underwater grant in Great Peconic Bay
Producer
West Robins Oyster Co. (Will Peckham and Walker Lourie)
Visual Signature
Eastern oyster shell

Robins Island is 435 acres of undeveloped land in the middle of Peconic Bay, owned by the financier Louis Bacon. Oysters harvested from the water around it have been sold under its name, and also as East Ends.1 The underwater grant to the west of the island has supplied New York restaurants since the late 1800s, and since 2015 it has been farmed by Will Peckham and Walker Lourie's West Robins Oyster Co.2

Robins Island, between Great and Little Peconic Bay, New York
Robins Island, between Great and Little Peconic Bay, New York. Photo: Dmadeo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Flavor Breakdown

Jacobsen's note
"That recognizably Peconic medium brine and body and iron richness." He adds that they lack the liveliness of a Widow's Hole, which grows closer to the open sea.1
The growers' note
West Robins describes firm meats with a grassy sweetness, briny liquor that gives way to Peconic Bay minerality, and a buttery, vegetal finish. The oyster is sold as the Classique Robins.2

What Makes Robins Island Unique

An oyster ground with more than a century of use, next to a privately owned, undeveloped island. Both tasting notes agree on the mineral, iron character of the middle Peconic.12

Middle-of-the-bay Long Island: less salt than Montauk or Greenport, more iron. Order it for the finish.

Should You Add Lemon?

Cautiously

A few drops. The iron note is the point.

Pairing Guide

1
Chablis

Mineral for mineral.

2
Muscadet sur lie

Leaner, if you want the oyster to lead.

OptimalPlain
AcceptableMignonette
AvoidCocktail sauce

Who Is This For?

Will love it
  • People who like a mineral finish
  • Diners on the South Fork, where it is easiest to find
Sources
  1. Jacobsen, R. "Robin's Island." The Oyster Guide. oysterguide.com
  2. Long Island Oyster Growers Association. "West Robins Oyster Co." liogany.org
Tasting notes & flavor profile in the Oysterminds app →