Thanksgiving dinner is a colorful feast, golden turkey, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie. See why in South County we add oysters to the list, and invite you to try some of the recipes listed below from George's of Galilee and the Matunuck Oyster Bar. They're a great addition to your Thanksgiving dinner!
Tradition
Historians agree on one thing about the first Thanksgiving: shellfish were on the menu. The Wampanoag people and English settlers likely shared local seafood, including clams, mussels, and oysters. With an abundant supply in coastal New England, oysters were a dietary staple.
Rhode Island Is Built on Seafood
Move over calamari, oysters are a large part of the state’s cultural and economic fabric that are enjoyed year-round, and celebrated on holidays. South County produces some of the best oysters in the country with it’s booming aquaculture industry and a coastline dotted with oyster farms. Names like Matunuck, East Beach Blonde, and Walrus & Carpenter are recognized by chefs and raw bar lovers from New York to L.A. Putting oysters on the table isn’t just delicious, you’re supporting local farmers.
Serve Oysters the South County Way
These light, briny and refreshing bi-valves bring flair to your Thanksgiving meal. Serve them raw with mignonette, roasted with herbs, in a stew, or baked into a savory stuffing, oysters add distinct flavor to your table.
Raw Bar Starter: Kick things off with chilled oysters on the half shell try a cranberry mignonette for a seasonal twist.
Roasted Oysters: Top with herbs, butter or bourbon, then bake until golden.
Oyster Stew: Try the award-winning recipe from Matunuck Oyster Bar
Oyster Stuffing: A South County classic. Blend chopped oysters into your cornbread ( another South County tradition) or sourdough stuffing for depth and richness
Take an Oyster Farm Tour
Hit the water and take a ferry out to a working oyster farm. Start at the Matunuck Oyster Bar with introductory discussion about aquaculture and fisheries on a global and local scale. Guests are then invited to visit the shellfish farm in Potter Pond. Tours of the oyster farm are a unique feature of the Matunuck experience where visitors see the different species of shellfish provided at the restaurant, in many different stages of growth.
Where to Get Your South County Oysters
In South County oyster farms are flourishing in our coastal waters. Our small, family-run aquaculture farms create sustainable livelihoods, support the health of our marine ecosystems, and produce oysters with unique flavor profiles shaped by the salt, tides, and minerals of their waters.
401 Oyster Company
Behan Family Farm
Bluff Hill Cove Oyster Farm
Cedar Island Oyster Company
East Beach Farms
East Beach Oyster Company
Matunuck Oyster Farm
Ninigret Oyster Farm
Quonnie Siren Oysters
Rome Point Oyster Company
Salt Pond Oysters
Venus Oyster Company
Walrus And Carpenter Oysters
Watch Hill Oysters
Wickford Oyster Co.
Fun Facts
RI has the highest per-acre production of any East Coast state.
The chance of finding a pearl are roughly 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 10,000 to produce a gem-quality natural pearl.
Rhode Island per-acre oyster production has doubled since 2005.
Aquaculture in RI provides 125 part-time and 121 full-time jobs.
Eating four oysters a day gives you a complete daily supply of copper, iron, iodine, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus. Legend holds that the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, emerged from the sea in an oyster shell — one reason oysters are considered an aphrodisiac.
