Westcott Bay
Crassostrea gigas
Original 'astronaut oysters' from San Juan Island. Delicate, sweet, and creamy with fine shells. Suspension-grown to never touch the bottom, creating exceptionally light texture and mild flavor.
Flavor Profile
Finish
Light, clean, just salty enough
Expert Notes
Westcott Bay Petites are the original 'astronaut oysters,' floating their entire lives high above the bay floor in suspension cultivation. This pristine growing method produces oysters that never touch mud or grit, developing exceptionally fine shells and remarkably light, creamy texture. The meat is delicately sweet and mild with just enough salt to keep things interesting, making them a refined introduction to Pacific oysters. Westcott Bay also became famous in the 1980s as the first farm to commercially produce European Flats in America, though today they concentrate primarily on their celebrated Petites. Origin & Characteristics
- Species
- Crassostrea gigas
- Native to
- Japan
- Grown in
- Westcott Bay, San Juan Island, Northern Puget Sound, Washington
- Size
- Small (3 inches)
- Shell Color
- White with fine, filigreed shells
- Meat Color
- Pale cream
Perfect Pairings
What Experts Say
Across 8 sources, tasters describe this oyster as:
Unique notes: cucumber-melon, astronaut oysters, light, filigreed shells
"It is delicacy itself: fine, filigreed shells, three-inch size, sweet, mild meat that is just salty enough to keep things interesting. Westcott Bays are the original astronaut oysters, floating all their lives high above the bottom, so they never touch mud or grit of any kind, never develop significant (read: chewy) muscles, and maintain a particularly light flavor and creamy texture that many appreciate."
sweetmildsaltylightcreamy
"Westcott Bay Petites and Stellar Bays are both creamy and mild, not too salty, with no clashing bitterness."
creamymildnot too saltyclean
"Pacific Oyster known for delicate, sweet, and creamy characteristics with fine shells and mild flavor profile."
delicatesweetcreamymild
"Rack-and-bag oysters from the very deep and cold Westcott Bay in the San Juan Islands."
cleancold-water
"Known for their cucumber-melon finish and perfect brininess."
cucumbermelonbriny
About the Farm
Westcott Bay Shellfish Company
Est. mid-1960sFounded by Bill and Doree Webb in the mid-1960s on a 75-acre property on San Juan Island. After decades of operation and eventual abandonment, the farm was revived in 2013 by Erik and Andrea Anderson, who restored the property and established it as a thriving family-owned aquaculture farm and restaurant.
- Cultivation Method
- suspended culture
History & Background
Westcott Bay became famous in the 1980s for their European Flats—the first commercially produced in America. Bill Webb was likely the only grower in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1990s growing oysters exclusively for the half-shell trade. The farm was abandoned for years before being restored by Erik and Andrea Anderson in 2013, who had first visited the bay together as dating teenagers in 1981.
Known as the original 'astronaut oysters' because they are suspension-grown and never touch the bottom. The farm is located in pristine San Juan Island waters and is accessible by ferry from Anacortes, making it a popular destination for both boaters and tourists.
Did You Know?
- Called 'astronaut oysters' because they float all their lives high above the bottom
- First commercial European Flat oysters produced in America came from Westcott Bay in the 1980s
- Roughly 50% of visitors arrive by boat
- Erik and Andrea Anderson restored the farm more than 30 years after they first visited it as dating teenagers
Sources & References
This information was compiled from 8 sources.
- Westcott Bay - Northern Puget Sound — The Oyster Guide
- August 2017 Note from Tim — San Juan Preservation Trust
- The love story behind Westcott Bay on San Juan Island — KING 5 News
- On the Half Shell — Los Angeles Times
- Westcott Bay - Oysterater — Oysterater
- Westcott Bay Petite Oysters — Chefs Resources
- Oyster Farming in Washington, Part 2 — HistoryLink.org
- Westcott Bay Shellfish Co Friday Harbor — Airial Travel
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Learn More
The Big Five: A Complete Guide to Commercial Oyster Species
Comprehensive guide to C. virginica (Atlantic), C. gigas (Pacific), C. sikamea (Kumamoto), O. lurida (Olympia), and O. edulis (European Flat)
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Understanding the world's most cultivated oyster - from Japanese origins to West Coast dominance
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Understanding merroir - the marine equivalent of terroir - and how water chemistry creates flavor
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