The Oyster Guide

Both wild and farmed oysters appear under the appellation Martha’s Vineyard, so it can be hard to generalize. I’ve had some Martha’s Vineyards that were on the salty side, typical for an island oyster, and others that were nearly saltless, though big and creamy with glycogen. The ones nestled in the salt ponds—often in bottom cages—can be less briny than those out on the bays. A wild MV oyster tends to be about three years old at harvest, at least three inches in size, with a gnarly sage-green shell, a huge adductor muscle from all the working out, and a mild, clean seaweed flavor no doubt deriving from life on the bottom. Farmed oysters are a bit younger, cleaner, and milder.

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