You wouldn’t expect to find one of the best oyster menus in a landlocked state like Tennessee, but at Nashville’s Henrietta Red, chef Julia Sullivan defies those expectations. The Per Se and Blue Hill at Stone Barns alum curates an exceptional selection, featuring up to 16 varietals on the menu at a time. Eating them side-by-side at the restaurant gives you an even greater appreciation of how much an oyster’s flavor and texture can change from region to region and even within regions. As the holiday season quickly descends upon us and we dream of creating some of the greatest shellfish towers imaginable at all the parties that will soon be happening, we asked Sullivan to share with us her favorite oysters from around America, along with her uniquely evocative triptych of descriptors for each varietal to help guide you to the one you’ll want most.
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Murder Points
Image Credit: Photo: courtesy Murder Point Oyster Bayou La Batre, Alabama
Like many of the best shellfish farms in the country, Murder Point Oysters is a family affair. The Zirlotts have been cultivating oysters for the better part of this decade, but the family’s roots in Gulf Coast shrimping and fishing goes encompasses five generations, tracing back to 1892. Their foray into bivalves has helped put the Alabama-raised oyster on the map for chefs around the country.
Julia’s tasting notes: creamy, salted butter, sea grass -
Pacific Golds
Image Credit: Photo: courtesy Morro Bay Oyster Company Morro Bay, California
Tucked about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Morro Bay, Calif. is a quaint little area that likes to tout its giant rock. But that’s not what food lovers think of when they hear Morro Bay. This area along California’s Central Coast is a prime area for shellfish cultivation and the Morro Bay Oyster Co. grows and harvest Pacific Golds, whose flavors are only enhanced by runoff from volcanic soil from which Morro Rock is made.
Julia’s tasting notes: herbaceous, sweet, seawater -
Island Creek Oysters
Image Credit: Photo: courtesy Island Creek Oysters Duxbury, Massachusetts
The son of a lobsterman who originally set about growing quahog clams, Skip Bennett eventually landed on a life of cultivating oysters. When he started in the early 1990s, he was the only person trying to farm oysters in Duxbury Bay, but he soon found that the waters there were perfect for great bivalves. Now he’s supplying numerous chefs including Thomas Keller and Sullivan’s Henrietta Red.
Julia’s tasting notes: crisp, briny, vegetal -
Hatteras Salts
Image Credit: Photo: courtesy Cape Hateras Oyster Co. Buxton, North Carolina
Founded by the father-son duo Bill and Ryan Belter, Cape Hateras Oyster Co. farms its bivalves off a narrow strip of land extending from the edge of North Carolina that juts out into the Atlantic. These briny, medium-sized beauties have found their way onto some of the best menus in the country, including Frank Stitt’s legendary Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham.
Julia’s tasting notes: toothy, umami, sea bean -
Disco Hamas
Image Credit: Photo: courtesy Hama Hama Company Lilliwaup, Washington
Up in Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, the cool waters of the Puget Sound and Hood Canal are prime real estate for great oyster cultivation. At the fifth generation Hama Hama shellfish farm, they sell a handful of varietals like Hama Hama, Blue Pool and Summerstone. You can also buy a variety pack, but the ones Sullivan gravitates to are the Disco Hamas.
Julia’s tasting notes: brisk, briny, melon -
Baywater Sweets
Image Credit: Photo: courtesy Baywater Shellfish Co. Thorndyke Bay, Washington
Back when he was still getting his doctorate in marine biology, Joth Davis started selling Baywater Sweet oysters. Since then he—and eventually his sons with him—grew a shellfish company that also sold Manila clams, geoducks and Salish Blue clams. The company’s specialty is their take on the Pacific oyster, which has a deep cup and a sturdy shell and has become a favorite of Seattle oysters bars and beyond.
Julia’s tasting notes: clean, cucumber, sea urchin
