Quality New England Shellfish Purveyors

[Chris Amirault]

In the last two weeks, I've had the good fortune to sample oysters from two local RI purveyors. Perry Raso of Matunuck Oysters (and the Ocean State Aquaculture Education Project) has been purveying his bivalves at Farm Fresh RI's AS220 indoor farmer's market each Saturday from 12n-3p, and they're briny and rich gems that'd be perfect on your holiday table. Fine, too, are Chris Clarendon's Seapowet oysters, big boys with a clean salt foreground and a meaty follow-up. He's got another week or two at East Side Marketplace, until he takes a breather until March or so.

Who else is doing this good work out in the cold for our happy palates?

[iHEARTalbany]

For oysters, its gotta be Island Creek out of Duxberry, ma. on the south shore....Their oysters are always crisp and delicious, and they bay purge them, meaning they harvest them and then hold them in pens in the bay which purges the impurities but doesnt force them to give off their ocean goodness...most guys bring em into a processing plant to purge them which will clean em out faster, but in reality cleans out all of their flavor too (after all an oyster is just a filter)...and if that doesnt sell you on them, just think of this, Keller buys exclusively from IC for all of his outlets, oysters and pearls anyone??? They also have Bay Scallops and Razor Clams...

For clams, you've gotta get Pat Woodburys out of Wellfleet...another 'renaissance man' to the fortunate few in Boston who can get their hands on his stuff...

For most other shellfish and localvore stuff, we dig Joby from Mullaneys Seafood out of Scituate Mass...He gets us all kinds of stuff and some funkier stuff like Blood Clams...

Hope this helped, these are my favorite purveyors for the kinds of stuff you had mentioned...