Hollywood
Crassostrea virginica
Upper Chesapeake Bay oyster from Maryland's Patuxent River. Sweet and creamy with distinctive mineral and mossy notes from fossil-lined creeks. Complex flavor with a crisp, flinty finish.
Flavor Profile
Finish
Crisp, flinty, clean
Expert Notes
Hollywood oysters showcase the distinctive character of the upper Chesapeake Bay, where distance from the ocean creates a sweeter, less salty profile. Grown in fossil-lined creeks with clay substrate on the Patuxent River, these oysters develop remarkable mineral complexity with mossy, earthy notes and hints of celery. The unique merroir imparts a flinty quality and crisp finish that distinguishes them from other Chesapeake varieties. Meaty and surrounded by plenty of liquor, they offer a complex yet approachable taste experience. Origin & Characteristics
- Species
- Crassostrea virginica
- Native to
- USA
- Grown in
- Hog Neck Creek, Patuxent River, Upper Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
- Size
- Medium to Large (3-4 inches)
- Shell Color
- Gray-white
- Meat Color
- Cream
What Experts Say
Across 8 sources, tasters describe this oyster as:
Unique notes: fossilized shellfish minerality, cucumber, brothy, flinty
"Sweet oyster with tons of complex flavors – mineral and mossy; clean finish."
sweetmineralmossyclean
"There are holly trees in our woods and fossilized shellfish in our creek. We think the fossils add the minerality to the sweet mossy taste of a Hollywood Oyster."
sweetmossymineral
"The characteristic of a Hollywood Oyster is medium salinity, accented by the taste of the crisp, plump meat with smooth hints of cucumber finish."
medium salinitycrispcucumberplump
"Mild mineral brine with a round and brothy finish."
mildmineralbrinyroundbrothy
"Hollywood is in the upper Chesapeake Bay, relatively far from the ocean. That means our oysters are sweeter than they are salty."
sweetlow salinity
"Hollywood is in the Upper Chesapeake Bay further from the ocean resulting in a lower brine. It is this sweet oyster with mineral hints and a clean finish that is unique to Hollywood Oyster."
sweetmineralcleanlow brine
"Mineral taste, very little brine. Liquor was slightly cloudy in December. Did not enjoy these oysters at all."
mineralvery little brinecloudy liquor
"Had the absolute pleasure of touring this beautiful facility and of course ate all of the oysters. Traveled back to Georgia with them and consumed them within three days and they were still perfect!"
About the Farm
Hollywood Oyster Company
Est. 2010Founded by Tal Petty who began farming oysters as a weekend hobby on his family's farm in Hollywood, Maryland. After MD regulations for oyster aquaculture were modernized in 2010, he started larger scale oyster farming and left his city job in 2013 to farm oysters full-time.
- Cultivation Method
- rack and bag
- Certifications
- 100% solar-powered
History & Background
Hollywood Oyster Company was founded in 2010 when Maryland modernized its oyster aquaculture regulations. Tal Petty, who previously worked in commercial real estate, finance, and global IT marketing, transitioned from growing oysters as a hobby to commercial farming in 2013. The farm has grown from a weekend hobby to one of the largest oyster farms in Maryland, selling millions of oysters annually.
The farm is located minutes from the site of the National Oyster Shucking Championships in St. Mary's County, Maryland, an area steeped in oyster heritage. The region is known as 'oyster country' with historic oyster waters.
Did You Know?
- The oyster is named after Hollywood, Maryland, where there are holly trees in the woods
- The creeks have fossilized shellfish in them, which the company believes adds minerality to the oysters
- The farm operates on a 300-acre property abutting thousands of acres of parkland
- The operation is 100% solar-powered and generates more electricity than it consumes
- The farm is located on the Patuxent River, the deepest river on the East Coast
Sources & References
This information was compiled from 8 sources.
- Hollywood Oysters - Hollywood Oyster Company — Hollywood Oyster Company
- Meet Hollywood Oyster Company, Oyster Farmers in Maryland — NOAA Fisheries
- Hollywood Oyster — Oysterology Online — Pangea Shellfish Company
- Hollywood Oyster - Top Seafood Suppliers — Food Business Review
- Hollywood - Oysterater — Oysterater
- Hollywood Oyster Company - FishChoice — FishChoice
- Oyster Farm Spotlight: Hollywood Oyster Company — PropTalk
- Chesapeake oyster farmers on the increase, touting unique flavours — Global News
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Learn More
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