Widow's Hole
Crassostrea virginica
Family-farmed in Greenport Harbor's Peconic Bay using tidal basket cultivation. Tender meats with balanced medium brininess, sweet flavor, and a distinctive mineral-rich finish that has made them a New York City favorite.
Flavor Profile
Finish
Mineral-rich with sweet notes
Expert Notes
Widow's Hole Oysters are cultivated in the algae-rich waters of Peconic Bay using tidal basket methods that tumble the oysters twice daily with the tides. This cultivation technique produces tender, delectable meats with a balanced medium brininess, pronounced sweetness, and a distinctive mineral finish. Recognized as one of New York City's favorites, these oysters deliver savory intensity with mineral-rich complexity that combines the best characteristics of Long Island Sound oysters. Origin & Characteristics
- Species
- Crassostrea virginica
- Native to
- USA
- Grown in
- Greenport Harbor, Peconic Bay, Long Island, New York
- Size
- Small (up to 3 inches)
- Shell Color
- Gray-white
- Meat Color
- Cream
Perfect Pairings
What Experts Say
Across 11 sources, tasters describe this oyster as:
Unique notes: salted iron, mushroom, almond, lively
"Medium brininess with hints of mushroom and almond, and a creamy finish."
brinymushroomalmondcreamy
"Widow's Hole oysters have a distinctively crisp, fresh, briny taste."
crispfreshbriny
"Both are nice and delicate oysters."
delicate
"I was struck by the liquid—both the amount (a lot) and its saltiness (also a lot). Widow's Hole oysters are briny, but this one was brinier."
brinysalty
"The rich, lively Widow's Hole flavor derives from the Peconic itself, and from the hundred-foot-deep channel running between Greenport and Shelter Island, through which most of the bay funnels."
richlively
"Both Pipes Cove and Widow's Hole have a salted iron flavor note that is the essence of Greenport oysters."
salted ironmineral
"Medium brininess, sweet flavor, and mineral finish with tender meats."
brinysweetmineraltender
About the Farm
Widow's Hole Oyster Farm
Est. 2006Mike and Isabel Osinski sold their software firm and discovered their bayside house in Greenport came with five acres of bottomland. After obtaining permits, they began farming oysters using Australian/Japanese methods.
- Cultivation Method
- suspended culture
History & Background
The name 'Widow's Hole' comes from a brackish inlet behind the Osinski home, named after Margaret Leverage, wife of a whaling captain who built the house in the 1830s and never returned from sea. Greenport was once New York's oyster capital.
Mike Osinski personally delivers oysters every Wednesday to NYC restaurants including Gramercy Tavern, Le Bernardin, Esca, Four Seasons, and BLT Fish. These direct deliveries mean restaurants receive extremely fresh oysters within 24 hours of harvest.
Did You Know?
- The oysters are literally farmed in Mike Osinski's subtidal backyard
- Chef at Gramercy Tavern called them 'the best he's eaten in his life'
- Mike harvests oysters in the morning and delivers them the same day
- The farm uses the kusshi method - suspending baskets between high and low tide marks
- The oyster farm was discovered after buying the historic 1830s whaling captain's house
Sources & References
This information was compiled from 11 sources.
- Greenport Oyster Adventure: Four Fantastic Ways to Enjoy the Day — In A Half Shell
- Oysters (Widow's Hole) — Dutch Kills CSA
- New York Oysters Are Fat and Sassy — Grub Street
- On the Bay — The New Yorker
- Widow's Hole - The Oyster Guide — The Oyster Guide
- Widows Hole Oysters — Chef's Resources
- Couple expands backyard oyster farm with $40K grant — Suffolk Times
- Widow's Hole Oyster Farm — LIOGA
- About WHO - Widow's Hole Oyster Farm — Widow's Hole Oyster Farm
- Pipes Cove - The Oyster Guide — The Oyster Guide
- Widow's Hole — OysteRater
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Learn More
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