Wellfleet
Wellfleet Harbor 🌎 See Oyster Map
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The most famous of all New England oysters, Wellfleets are farmed in the protected intertidal flats of Wellfleet Harbor. The Cape’s lack of freshwater guarantees a profoundly briny flavor in its oysters.
- Species: Eastern
- Cultivation: Wild
- Salinity: Oceanic
- Size: Large
- Region: Massachusetts
Wellfleet (19 Ratings)
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A little thin in Montreal in March, but still that unmistakable Wellfleet brine.
Ordered these from Real Oyster Cult. Beautiful shell, meaty interior. VERY briny — like being toppled by a wave at the beach and swallowing a few gulps of the Atlantic. Fond childhood memories, but can’t eat a bunch at once….
First time eating these today. Picked up 6 from whole foods… only a few days out of water per the tag. medium meat, medium brine, super fresh. Not bad at all.
Archetypal northeast oyster. There’s many growers in wellfleet so there’s probably some variation… but usually briny, sweet with a vegetal, mushroomy note. They can be world class
Not keen on these. Tried them at Legal Seafoods a couple of times and thought they were pale and fairly bland. Bought some in Wellfleet itself last August and again was not impressed. Many other varieties have better texture and taste.
Like some of the reviews note, these can be inconsistent. Have enjoyed them more recently and they were good, but the meaty quality and briny flavor almost made me want more flavor impact.
It’s a bit like a your first warm German lager. It hits with a lot of flavor, almost too much, then it mellows out quickly. Some people.have called them inconsistent, so maybe I was lucky. Briny and slightly bitter, mellowing out to a soft mushroomy earthiness as you chew.
I have eaten just one dozen but were lovely.
Growing up in MA, Wellfleets were the first oysters I ate and I still love them but as some echoed, they can be inconsistent. When good, they have a great mix of brine and other flavors and are texturally just right, not chewy but not mushy. The blurb above mentions they are farmed, while the Cultivation category lists them as wild. I guess they’re both? Perhaps one type is better, leading to the inconsistency? It would be great if there was a forum on this site as well for oyster discussion.
Nice balance
These are awesome and I’m eating them out of FL. We have a great local seafood shop that brings all varieties in, Sammie’s in St Pete.
Ordered a plateful last night at a local restaurant that always has a good oyster menu. They looked like Wellfleets but were disappointing: uncharacteristically small and not very briny at all. A mix-up in the kitchen or a quality control problem?
Saving my rating
Had these in both Miami and Boston in the course of one week – they do travel well and even early season this is a dependable choice. Great balance of brine and mineral.
high salinity, creamy, beginner oyster
Like all oysters these vary quite a bit but when they are on they are one of my top picks. Most east coast oysters have a briny taste of the sea that varies in the level of salt and nothing much more but Wellfleet’s can have a lot of flavor in addition to salt, and when they do they are exceptional.
I grew up eating Wellfleet oysters. Always among the best ever.
Good balance of brine and sweet
Wellfleat, I can enjoy its good texture because of mild fatty body of flesh.