A Renewed Brackish Bounty in the Chesapeake

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The bivalve is back! From Richmond to D.C., Frederick, and Baltimore, chefs are shucking and diners are slurping all across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. It’s the new age of the oyster and the bay is booming with oyster farms. The growth of new oyster operations (more than 100) since the 2010 passage of the Shellfish Aquaculture Leasing bill has rapidly transformed the bay into a bastion of Rappahannocks, Old Salts, and Chincoteagues, to name a few varieties. Chefs are poaching them, concocting oyster shooters, and, of course, serving them on the pearly half shell. The mounds of crushed ice aren’t just chilling the regions best oyster bars; they’re in fine dining restaurants and brewpubs, too. Tilt your head back. Here are some of our favorite oyster compositions from the D.C. area chefs who are embracing the region’s renewed brackish bounty.