Rappahannock River Oyster

Rappahannocks are rack and bag cultured oysters from the mouth of the Rappahannock River in Virginia. The Rappahannock River is located on the lower portion of the western shore of Chesapeake Bay, lying between the Potomac River to the north and the York River to the south. It is 184 miles long and traverses the entire northern part of the state. The site produces an oyster with a mild, mineral rich flavor thanks to the never-ending flow of river water over the sight. The farm is a family run affair and their history in the industry goes back to 1899. The oysters were wild, and bottom grown for most of the company’s history but today the company, as run by the founders’ two grandsons, is focused solely on aquaculture as a means to returning the Chesapeake Bay oyster to a place of prominence. Their use of the rack and bag system is new to the area and keeps the oysters up out of the mud and in the water column where food quality and quantity are vastly improved. The oysters are watched carefully over the course of their grow out. Bag densities are kept low, slow growers and those with misshapen shells are culled out. The results of this effort are wonderfully uniform and well shaped oysters with a plump meat.