Oyster Menu Regulars: Rappahannock Oyster Co.
When it comes to friendships and seafood, distance shouldn’t matter. If anything, when it comes to our friendship with Rappahannock Oyster Co., distance was an added benefit.
Dedication to quality seafood knows no bounds. Be it Australian Spiny Lobsters or just a hankering for good east-coast oysters, delicious seafood doesn’t end outside of our home base in Southern California. That’s why we turn to our partners who continuously produce the quality we expect and help us secure the best seafood from around the world.
Although our relationship with Rappahannock Oyster Co. started in the 2000s, their story begins in 1899.
Photo courtesy of Rappahannock Oyster Co.
How Rappahannock Oyster Co. Started
When purchasing a few acres of fertile Rappahannock Riverbed near Butylo, Va., J.A. Croxton surely couldn’t have known that he was creating a company that would last for over a century.
By 2001, after a century of over harvesting, the oyster population in Chesapeake Bay was less than 1% of the amount present when J.A. Croxton made his purchase, and Chesapeake Bay had just recorded its lowest ever oyster harvest.
As cousins Ryan and Travis Croxton took the helm of the company, threats of placing the Bay oyster on the Endangered Species List and a movement away from native oysters in favor of introducing a Chinese oyster in its place was underway.
A mission to resurrect the native Bay oyster quickly expanded into a crusade to pave the pathways of restoration of all Chesapeake Bay food ways. Because of the oytser's ability to filter 50 gallons of water per day and provide habitat for countless species, it was the perfect weapon to attack this growing problem. Using oysters as their paintbrush, Rappahannock Oyster Co. set out to paint a cover over the decades old graffiti of a wall that is the Chesapeake Bay, laying the base for the gorgeous mural of seafood that it has become.
After two decades since the Croxton cousins took over, Chesapeake Bay is now seeing numbers not witnessed in generations and now leads the entire East Coast in oyster production.
Rappahannock Oyster Co. Methodology
Rappahannock Oyster Co. oysters are grown directly next to wild oysters, however by growing them in cages rather than the ocean floor, they preserve the fragile river-bottom. In their growth cycle that lasts from 24-to-36 months, the oysters filter the river water, clearing it of excess nutrients and cleaning it to provide a habitat for the fish that call the river home.
The oysters are carefully monitored during its growth. Keeping an eye on salt and temperature levels help to guard the oyster against unsightly growth habits and fight disease, ensuring a healthy, attractive and succulent oyster.
Once grown, they are hand-selected and placed into an iced-down shipping container destined for King’s Seafood Distribution, where they are closely monitored, quality-checked and sent out to all Water Grill locations.
Rappahannock Oysters At Water Grill
Depending on season and availability, any of the three oysters grown and supplied by Rappahannock Oyster Co. can be found on our Water Grill menus. Check out today’s menus for availability.
Rappahannock Oysters At-A-Glance
Rappahannock River
Species: Crassostrea virginica (native)
Location: Topping, VA
Flavor: Sweet, buttery, full-bodied taste with a refreshingly clean, crisp finish.
Rochambeau
Species: Crassostrea virginica (native)
Location: Yorktown, VA
Flavor: Sweet and mildly briny with a clean crisp finish.
Olde Salts
Species: Crassostrea virginica (native)
Location: Chincoteague, VA
Flavor: Bold seaside brininess with a smooth, clean follow-through.
Pacific Bluefin Tuna Season Returns for Another Summer
Appreciate the good times while they last. You never really know when the next ones may come. That’s especially true when it comes to Pacific Bluefin Tuna.
Pacific Bluefin Tuna are some of the fastest fish in the ocean. But it’s not their speed that makes them elusive.
As one of the most carefully managed fisheries in the U.S., the annual harvest of Bluefin Tuna is limited to help prevent overfishing and restore populations to target levels. There is a capped amount for the season, and once that number is reached, there can be no more landing of Bluefin Tuna by commercial or recreational fishermen.
Consequently, this remarkable fish has sporadic and limited availability and may not be available from one year to the next.
A Highly Migratory Fish
Pacific Bluefin has the largest geographic range of all tunas. While they mostly live in open water, their fatty flesh gives them the ability to keep their bodies warm, unlike most fish. This is what allows the Pacific Bluefin to live in cooler temperate, tropical and open waters.
Bluefin Tuna spawn in the Western Pacific between central Japan and the northern Philippines from April through August. While some Bluefin end up spending their entire lives in the Western Pacific, some young fish will end up migrating to the Eastern Pacific to feed. Southern California waters provide a pristine environment filled with some of their favorite food – such as market squid and sardines.
Getting from place to place isn’t a problem for this fish, though. With their streamlined bodies and powerful tails, Pacific Bluefin Tuna are some of the fastest fish in the ocean.
At about age one, these fish start to arrive off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. They remain in the Eastern Pacific for a few years before migrating back to the Western Pacific Ocean to spawn, a journey taking as little as 55 days.
Why the Blue Fin?
Pacific Bluefin Tuna can be identified by dark blue dorsal sides. The color doesn’t stop there though. They also have a series of small yellow fins, edged in black, that run from the second dorsal fin to the tail. Their bellies are dotted with silver / gray spots or bands.
When you see a Pacific Bluefin Tuna, you’ll see that it’s built for speed. Compared to other tuna, they have relatively small eyes that are set flush to their body, streamlining their flow through the water. Make no mistake though: even though the eyes are small, they have some of the sharpest vision of any finfish and hunt by sight.
Prized Flavor
Prized for their fatty flesh and often served as maguro or toro in sushi restaurants, Pacific Bluefin Tuna are fished extensively throughout the Pacific.
At Water Grill, our Pacific Bluefin Tuna is locally sourced in the San Diego area. We work directly with local fishermen. Each fish is caught one at a time by hook and line. This helps to reduce by-catch while ensuring great handling and a top-quality product.
We bring in the whole loin of the fish to Water Grill, and cut and prepare it for several dishes that highlight its rich, buttery texture and meaty flavor. These include the Trojan Roll, Tuna Poke, Tuna Toro Tartare and Tuna Crudo along with the Wild Pacific Bluefin Tuna entrée with togarashi. View today's menu to see what's available today!
Cover photo credit: Kate/Unsplas from CA Sea Grant
