Hog Island Hogwash for
the Sweetwater Oyster

"The two weeks up, he suddenly attaches himself to the first clean hard object he bumps into.  His fifty million brothers who have not been eaten by fish may or may not bump into anything clean and hard, and those who do not, die.  But our spat has been lucky, and in great good spirits he clamps himself firmly to his home, probably forever.  He is by now about one-seventy-fifth of an inch long, whatever that may be...and he is an oyster."
                – MFK Fisher, "Consider the Oyster"





The story of Hog Island Oyster, out of Tomales Bay CA, is by its very nature long and laborious, but full of passion like the process of oyster farming itself one seed at a time.

For oyster lovers, we know it's not really about the dipping sauce – instead it's that rare experience of eating something that so tastes like its surrounding aquatic habitat that you sense you're eating

Sweetwaters on a pan of ice, Hogwash in the center

a particular region of the seashore – but just the right sauce does add a very precise 'kick' of flavor to the otherwise subtle oyster.  For Hog Island Oysters, one of the most important oyster farm operations not only on the west coast

but in the country, they suggest their 'hog wash sauce' to dip their trademark sweetwaters in.

John Finger and Terry Sawyer started oyster farming back in 1983 with the motto "strong backs and weak minds," referring not only to the backbreaking work of oyster farming, but also to the fact that, back in the beginning, both founders were marine biologists by day and then farmers at night. They could not have known that their little experiment with a patch of the Tomales Bay (north of Point Reyes, 50 miles north of San Fran), would have turned into a 3 million a year operation.  Oyster farming in a sustainable way means

you cultivate shells seed by seed, hand by hand, attaching a single "'spat' onto fragments of shell and grow them to about the size of a grain of granola.  The seed is placed in mesh cylinders called Stanways.  The Stanways are then floated out in the bay so that the tides can deliver nutrient rick algae to them and gently roll them around just enough to set in motion the foundations for the thick, deep and fluted shape of their shells."

Some oysters take up to three years to fully mature. They churn through the variety of aquatic nutrients available and approximately 50 gallons of water a day, growing into the elastic muscular flavor pack that we eat after its shucked.  MFK Fisher, from above, says in another short essay from "Consider the Oyster," that there are three types of oyster eaters: "those loose-minded sports who will eat anything, hot, cold, thin, thick, dead or alive, as long as it is oyster, those that will eat them raw and only raw; and those who with equal severity will eat them cooked and no way other."  For my own taste, I'd side with each of these folks, and eat them any which way, but the cold, farmed, and filtered

Hog Island Farm 'Boat' outdoor oyster bar

oyster, like the Hogs Island Sweetwater, enjoyed at a quaint sea-spot like their 'boat' bar at Tomales Bay, or their flagship oyster bar at the Ferry Market,

 is as close to living like a west coast fish as you can get.

Hogwash

Makes 1 generous bowl

Ingredients (hogwash)

1/4 C seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 C unseasoned rice vinegar
1 large shallot, peeled, minced
1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime

Method (hogwash)

Using a 50-50 blend of unseasoned rice vinegar and seasoned rice vinegar gives the perfect balance of acidity and sweetness. Seasoned rice vinegar has sugar and salt added, in just the right proportion. Both are great condiments to have on hand in your kitchen. Combine ingredients in a medium bowl. When serving, stir the Hogwash beforehand to include all the goodies in the bowl. Serve in a ramekin or small, shallow bowl along side freshly shucked raw oysters. Place a teaspoon near the bowl for guests to spoon the sauce onto their oysters. Use the Hogwash the same day it’s made. If making ahead, mix all dry ingredients and store refrigerated in an airtight container. Add lime juice and vinegar blend just before serving.