Watch Hill

"White-shelled Watch Hills are grown off-bottom in waist-deep water on a five-acre lease in Winnapaug Pond, near Westerly. They are unusual for being mild in salinity but full-bodied, with strong 'oysterness' and an addictive sweet-butter flavor that is especially apparent in winter. That combination makes them perhaps the best virginica with wine."

mild salinityfull-bodiedsweet-butteroysterness

"Exceptional. Small but the flavor and texture is top notch. You just kind of shake your head when you have one. It must be a pretty special spot there on Martha's Vineyard to be producing these little guys. They are very high integrity and offered the greatest sense of what an oyster is that I've gotten out of all I've tried to date."

exceptionalhigh integritypure oyster flavor

"Really nice meatiness. For whatever reason they put me in mind of California citrus fruits minus their acidity, and I won't try to expand on that except to say that I'd probably have them with a very tart Belgian beer."

meatycitrusclean

"A favorite, and I often get them right from the farmer. I agree that they are on the fragile side and never really get clean. This is probably due to the lack of agitation/waves in the pond and the shallow sandy bottom. Careful shucking yields a great oyster experience."

cleandelicate

"I really like these oysters for their brine and overall meatiness. We get them in frequently and they are very consistent in size and quality."

brinymeatyconsistent

"Starting with a crisp brinyness and finishing with a mellow buttery flavor they are the oystermans oyster."

crispbrinybutterymellow

"Watch Hills are very sweet with firm pink meat. It is one of the most flavorful oysters on the market and rated as one of New England's finest oysters by Bon Appetite Magazine. They have a pink shell."

sweetfirmflavorful