This Oyster Farm Should Be on Your California Bucket List
We visit Hog Island Oyster Co., where the best oysters in the West are raised in some of the most pristine waters in California.
Terry Sawyer and John Finger on the bay they’ve farmed for over 40 years. Photo by Thomas J. Story.
The sun has just crested the hills of West Marin, and the water is placid on Tomales Bay. We pull on hip waders and walk through the low tide, mud sucking at our boots, and climb aboard an aluminum boat that embarks daily to haul up cages of some of the most prized oysters on the planet: Hog Island oysters, named after a tiny piece of land in the middle of the bay, where dozens of pigs sheltered after the ship ferrying them crashed and burned in the 1870s. “That’s a horrible name for a company,” was pretty much what everyone told business partners John Finger and Terry Sawyer when they named their then-fledgling company in 1982. Today, Hog Island Oyster Co. sells some $30 million in oysters, oyster merchandise, salt, and seafood through its wholesale, retail, and restaurant empire.
Thomas J. Story
Despite early objections to the name, anyone in the food industry can tell you Hog Island is the company that helped take California oysters from a local delicacy to nationally known culinary treasure. New York-born CEO John Finger relocated to California with a desire to surf, a degree in marine biology, and a utopian impulse to create a sustainable oyster industry on the West Coast. With a lease of just five acres of Tomales Bay, he and Terry Sawyer cultivated a crop of Pacific oysters and started hand-selling their dream. They’d listen to Talking Heads as they drove up and down the coast, trying to convince chefs of the quality of their Hog Island Sweetwaters, which grew plump in some of the most pristine waters in the country. They convinced none other than Alice Waters to try them, and she was hooked. With Hog Island oysters namechecked on the menu of Chez Panisse, suddenly everyone wanted them.
Thomas J. Story
Today you can find the oysters at bistros, bars, and Michelin-starred restaurants. You can order them online, at the various Hog Island restaurants, and at Tony’s Seafood in Marshall on Tomales Bay. But nowhere is quite as romantic as at the oyster farm itself, where you can buy a couple of dozen at a retail window.
Thomas J. Story
But the beauty isn’t all above water. While we’re out on the oyster boat, the crew hoists a cage of oysters onto the deck along with tiny fish, floating seaweed and eel grass, plankton, and sea stars that flow through the cage, onto the deck, and back into the bay. Marine biologists taking inventory of the biodiversity in the bay counted nearly 100 species in these baskets.
Thomas J. Story
Back on land, we visit Hog Island Saltworks, where artist and salt artisan Jeff Warrin has constructed a solar- and wind-powered evaporation tower that extracts fluffy salt from Tomales Bay seawater. This umami-rich salt makes its way into a briny, nori-infused cocktail called the Sea Collins that kicks off a feast with John and Terry and the Hog Island crew as they celebrate the start of the fall season and over 40 years of sustainably harvesting deliciousness from Tomales Bay.
Thomas J. Story
Feast Sustainably and Deliciously at Home
Autumn Chicory Salad with Roasted Delicata, Apple, Savory Seed & Seaweed Granola, and Black Tahini Dressing
Celebrate autumn with this vibrant chicory salad, featuring sweet roasted delicata squash, crisp apples, and a savory seed and seaweed granola. The black tahini dressing adds a nutty, creamy richness that ties the ingredients together beautifully.
Black Cod Chowder with Potato, Kale, Tomato & Vermouth
Warm and comforting, this chowder combines the smoky richness of black cod with hearty potatoes, tender kale, and a hint of vermouth. The addition of tomatoes and a square of kelp or kombu deepens the flavors, creating a nourishing and satisfying soup.
Grilled Sardines with Roasted Grape, Fennel, Seaweed, Celery Root Salad, Seville Orange Vinaigrette & Fennel Pollen Gremolata
This dish beautifully marries the robust flavor of grilled sardines with a vibrant salad featuring roasted grapes, fennel, celery root, and seaweed. The Seville orange vinaigrette adds a zesty brightness, while the fennel pollen gremolata provides an aromatic finish.
Baked Oysters with Seaweed & Wild Mushroom Beurre Blanc and Buttery Breadcrumbs
The combination of fresh Pacific oysters and the umami-rich beurre blanc creates a harmonious balance of flavors. This elegant recipe is perfect for impressing guests at a dinner party or enjoying a special meal at home.
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