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South Hampton Select Oysters

In an effort to once again expand our list of offerings, we have started sourcing a variety of Atlantic oyster (Crassostrea virginica) from the Eastern tip of Long Island, New York.  The South Hampton Select oysters are a product of Robin’s Island, which is located where the waters of Little and Great Peconic Bays meet.  Peconic Bay itself is formed by the two pronounced peninsulas which jut into the Block Island Sound from the Eastern end of Long Island.   Robin’s Island is an ideal location for the grow-out of oysters, as it is well protected from the often-tumultuous seas of the Atlantic by the aforementioned points of land.  The geology of the island creates a natural upwelling action, bringing the nutrient rich waters of the deep Atlantic to the surface.  Twice a day, the prevailing tidal currents fill Peconic Bay (and it’s tributaries) with a wash of exceptionally high concentrations of phytoplankton rich seawater provided courtesy of the Block Island Sound.  The South Hampton Selects are cultured from spat gathered from (where else?) Oyster Bay, Long Island.  The spat is held in a system of upwellers off of Robin’s Island until they are roughly one inch in length.  After the South Hampton Selects are removed from the upwellers, they are placed in hard plastic Aquatrays, which are moored to the floor of the bay. The Aquatrays effectively keep the oysters in the tidal wash, and off of the hard-packed-mud bed of the bay.  By suspending the oysters off of the floor of the bay, the South Hampton Selects are kept free from biofouling.  Biofouling ultimately detracts from an oysters overall cleanliness, shape and form, thereby reducing its value on the market.  The South Hampton Selects will remain in the Aquatrays until they reach roughly one-and-a-half inches in diameter, at which point they are placed in custom racks, and dropped to a depth of roughly 20 feet for finishing.  It warrants mention that our South Hampton Select oysters are manicured (chipped) a half dozen times during the aforementioned grow-out process.  This manicuring process effectively thickens and strengthens the shell, while keeping the oyster’s profile compact, and facilitating greater cup definition.  Our South Hampton Selects are graded as large (three to four inch) choice oysters.  The meats of the South Hampton Selects are full and bright, with a texture that is a little more firm than silky.  The flavor profile of South Hampton Selects leads with a delicate sweetness, which gives way to an overt brininess.  The salinity of the South Hampton Selects consistently runs at a relatively high 27 parts-per-thousand (ppt).  Just to put things in perspective…The average salinity of the Earth’s oceans is 35 ppt.  South Hampton Selects are available in 100 count units, and are packed out in nylon mesh bags, which are then re-packed into burlap sacking which has been soaked in seawater.  This packaging keeps the oysters both cool and damp on their journey to J.P.’s Shellfish and beyond.  The South Hampton Select oysters are available in limited quantities 12 months a year, and pre-orders are strongly encouraged as each and every South Hampton Select oyster is harvested on a per-order basis.  Furthermore, upon harvesting, final grading, and packaging, the oysters are immediately placed upon a refrigerated J.P.’s Shellfish truck, and are brought to our Eliot, Maine facility for distribution.  This is just another example of how our commitment to quality and chain of custody work in chorus to provide you, our valued clientele, with only the finest product available.  Please feel free to contact us for further clarification on the aforementioned or any other J.P.’s Shellfish product or service.     

Please email info@jpshellfish.com or call 207-439-6018 for more information on this and or any other J.P.'s Shellfish product or service.