Hog Island Oyster Co. - Marshall, CA

Are you as crazy as I am for oysters? Crazy enough to go to an oyster farm to eat it? In Northern California?

If you are, then your Mecca is Hog Island Oysters located in the sleepy town of Marshall along the shimmering waters of Tomales Bay.

It isn't the only oyster farm there and it's a schlep to get to from the Bay Area. Also, it's not cheap. Just because you're buying your bivalves direct from the source, it doesn't mean it will be a bargain. In fact, if you're going to do as I did and buy your oysters pre-shucked from the bar, it will cost as much as what it would cost if you actually went to Hog Island's actual oyster restaurants in San Francisco proper.

But here you get the view of the very waters those creatures came out of. You get to see the workers unload and sort these rock-like critters and keep them alive in gurgling vats. You get to breathe in the salty air and commune with like-minded oyster-lovers on wooden picnic tables with wine, expensive cheese and gourmet crackers. And you get to slurp, slurp, slurp what is possibly the most perfect food the ocean offers, just as it is.

Nevermind that each trembling cold fleshy lobe that slides down your throat cost you $2.33 (before tax). They're sweet, briny, creamy, with only a drop of lemon juice and an occasional dab of mignonette to add just a slight touch of acid. And I can't think of a better way to eat an oyster--a dish that nature has prepared built into its own spoon--than in nature's kitchen and dining room, here on this beautiful bay.

Hog Island Oyster Farm
20215 Shoreline Highway
Marshall, CA 94940
(415)663-9218
https://hogislandoysters.com/visit/marshall

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