I took a road trip with my youngest son this summer to shuck and suck the illustrious hogs of Tamales Bay, a 15 mile long narrow inlet of heaven & salt. Grey fog blankets, green brackish waters and tarnished silver oysters create a calm muted palate. Hog Island Oyster Co. planted its first seed (or spat) here in 1983. The founders were marine biologists by day and farmers at night – the first to be certified as “Sustainable Shellfish Producers” by the Food Alliance.
Shucking is not for the all-you-can-eat buffet lover. The knife is difficult to maneuver and must be precisely inserted into an elusive soft spot on the oyster to successfully pry it open. Many a hand has slipped in eager desire to suck the salty bivalve. Hog Island provides thick rubber gloves, used by novices and professionals alike! Every one earns their brine-filled delight here. On the foraging satisfaction scale, shucking is right up there – surpassed only by my saltwater dreams of plucking oysters from their wild beds.
OYSTERS
by Seamus Heaney
Our shells clacked on the plates.
My tongue was a filling estuary,
My palate hung with starlight:
As I tasted the salty Pleiades
Orion dipped his foot into the water.
Looking back from the other side of Tomales Bay.
Looking up Tomales Bay towards Tomales Point and Bodega Bay.
Leave a Reply