As the saying goes, sometimes less is more and The Hatchery on Gwynn’s Island takes full advantage of this philosophy.
Now in its third season, its rustic, open-air concept puts you right on the water with Milford Haven and glorious sunsets in full view. The food truck-style eatery’s proximity to both the water and the buildings that make up Oyster Seed Holdings (OSH) highlights what The Hatchery is all about—Crassostrea virginica, the Virginia or Eastern Oyster.
“The restaurant stems out of what we really do down here,” said Mike Congrove, owner of The Hatchery and majority owner of Oyster Seed Holdings. “We grow 100 million baby oysters for oyster farmers up and down the East Coast every year.” Congrove’s primary goal of the restaurant is to “demonstrate what we do.” In addition to highlighting delicious oyster dishes, the restaurant offers an opportunity to “educate the general public about what shellfish aquaculture is, why it’s really great for the environment and why we should be making room for it in our waterways.”
Tours of the oyster growing operation and a partnership with Mathews Deadrise Charters allows anyone interested to see the entire life cycle—from larvae to oyster seed at OSH; then on to an oyster farm on the Piankatank River where they grow out from seed and are eventually harvested about 18 months later. You then return to The Hatchery to enjoy the delicious results of many hands.
So why is Congrove so big on oysters? “Shellfish aquaculture has a net positive impact on the environment. It’s one of the best proteins that can be farm raised because not only does it provide habitat, it improves water quality in the process.”
“One of the great things about eating oysters is that they take on the flavor of a place that they’re grown in,” Congrove said. The merroir as it has come to be known, considers “how much fresh water there is, what the salinity is, what the land types are, what the bottom type is, even, to some extent, what the grow out type is, which can affect texture and change the overall oyster eating experience.”
“All the oysters that are served here were born in our oyster hatchery, grown out at one of our customer’s farms, and then brought back to the food truck to enjoy,” he said.
On the evening we visited, Little Wicomico Oyster Company’s “Blackberries” were featured. A sign educated diners on the size, salinity and sweetness of the oysters, which were mid-range in size and salinity, and just over the mid-range in sweetness.
Chef Doug DeForge has developed a menu with a number of ways to enjoy the oyster, be it raw roasted or fried. Raw oysters can be paired with freshly made rotation of mignonettes with flavors like melon habanero and pickled ginger horseradish. The cool crunch and tang of the mignonettes was such a nice complement to the oyster, that even I, someone not a huge fan of raw oysters, enjoyed.
Roasted oysters, “the gateway oyster to oyster eating” according to Congrove, are served with a rotation of compound butters. On the menu for the evening—hot honey, tomato basil and roasted garlic butters. Each was a wonderful warm bite that really highlights the benefits of roasting–the oyster retains some of its delicate texture while gaining smokiness in flavor.
The freshness of ingredients really shines through on the entrees and sides. The oyster bánh mì is the chef’s take on a Vietnamese sandwich. The breaded and fresh-out-of-the-fryer oysters are served on a baguette with pickled daikon radishes, carrots and cucumber along with red onions and jalapeño for a kick.
The oyster taco was my hands-down favorite. The fried oysters were again cooked to perfection, but it was the pickled red cabbage and onion that really made it sing.
The menu also features a rotating selection of sides. The Asian slaw had a wonderful addition of peanuts and the watermelon salad was my other favorite of the evening. Fresh watermelon, cucumbers and feta cheese were a perfect sweet/salty addition to a meal on a warm summer evening.
Chef DeForge also has considered those who are not oyster lovers with street tacos, barbecue sandwiches and a salad option as well as a kids menu so there is something for everyone. Oyster stew is an additional menu item added when the temperatures begin to dip.
A selection of wine, beers and Virginia craft beers is available to round out an evening meal.
“A waterfront site, under an umbrella, eating oysters is certainly my favorite way to enjoy them,” Congrove said. So that’s what we’re after.” And judging by the crowds that lined up as soon as they opened on Friday evening, many people agree.
The Hatchery
425 Callis Wharf Road
Grimstead, Gwynn’s Island, Mathews
Open
April/May through November/December
Fridays: 5 p.m.-sunset with music at 6 p.m.
Saturdays: 4 p.m. to sunset
Sundays: Noon-4 p.m.
Hatchery tours
May through August
