Basic Profile

Origin
Tillamook Bay, Bay City, Oregon, USA
Species
Crassostrea gigas (Pacific Oyster)
Classification
Farmed; family companies on state-leased ground
Farming Method
Seed planted on leased bay bottom
Producer
Hayes Oyster Company and other Bay City growers
Visual Signature
Pacific oyster shell

In 1910 Jesse Hayes found oyster shell in dredge spoils from Tillamook Bay, and the idea of farming there stayed with him. In 1928 he planted oyster seed from Japan, obtained by way of Canada, in a bay that had no oysters.1

Tillamook Bay, Oregon
Tillamook Bay, Oregon. Photo: James St. John / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

The Hayes Family

In the 1930s Hayes and other Bay City residents leased state land for oyster culture, and at least 16 members of the Hayes family worked in the business. His grandson, also named Jesse, oversees Hayes Oyster Company today.1

The Breach

The bay has been reshaped more than once. A jetty went in at its mouth in 1917. In 1952 the sea broke through Bayocean Spit and poured into the bay, and the Army Corps of Engineers did not close the breach until 1956.1

Oystering on this coast is older than the farm. Next door, on Netarts Bay, a settlement called Oyster Bay stood by 1859, and in 1867 schooners from San Francisco were paying 50 cents a bushel for native oysters.1

Flavor Breakdown

The water
Five rivers feed Tillamook Bay, so its oysters grow in fresher water than those of Netarts next door. Expect sweetness first and little salt.
The form
A bottom-grown Pacific, the kind usually sold shucked. Treat it as a cooking oyster: fried, stewed or baked.

What Makes Tillamook Bay Unique

Pacific oyster farming in Oregon starts here, with one man and a seed shipment in 1928. Three generations later the same family still works the bay.1

The original Oregon farmed oyster. Eat it cooked in Bay City, and go to Netarts for a saltier one on the half shell.

Should You Add Lemon?

Yes

Sweet and soft, and better with acid.

Pairing Guide

1
Oregon Pinot Gris

The state's default white for its oysters.

2
Light lager

With a plate of fried ones.

OptimalLemon
AcceptableTartar sauce on fried oysters
AvoidNothing delicate is at stake

Who Is This For?

Will love it
  • People who like their oysters fried or in a stew
  • Anyone tracing how Pacific oysters reached the West Coast
Sources
  1. Tillamook Headlight-Herald (14 July 2009). "150 years of oyster farming." tillamookheadlightherald.com
Tasting notes & flavor profile in the Oysterminds app →