Listen to this articleOrganized by the creators of Long Island Restaurant Week and the Long Island Oyster Growers Association, the event comprises participating restaurants featuring oyster specials sourced from participating growers. The event supports local restaurants, growers and also Long Island’s ecosystem.
Specials include $1 oysters, $2 oysters and an oyster sampler as well as special oyster appetizers and oyster entrées. Restaurants may offer one or all of these oyster specials, all of which will be listed on the Long Island Oyster Week website.
“Oysters, just like wines, take their flavor from the location they are grown and Long Island has been known for over 100 years as one of the finest places to grow oysters in the world,” Richard Remmer, one of Long Island Oyster Week’s founders and owner of The Snapper Inn, a participating Oakdale restaurant, said in a news release about the event.
“Who hasn’t heard of Bluepoint Oysters? My families’ lives have been intertwined with Long Island oysters for six generations and the Snapper Inn has been serving Long Island oysters for 95 years,” he added. “We are ecstatic that our great Long Island restaurants and amazing oyster growers are getting together to celebrate the best oysters in the world.”
To kick-off the event, The Snapper Inn is holding “Shucktoberfest” on Oct. 13, beginning at 2 p.m. At the event, Long Island oyster farmers – Keenan Boyle of Tall Muthashucka, Matt Welling from Lucky 13 Oysters, and Phil Mastrangelo and Brian Tuthill from Oysterponds Shellfish Company – will take part in a shucking contest. The contest is followed by a talk with oyster expert Don Ballan. Raw bar items will be available for purchase as well as a cash bar. And on Oct. 16, The Snapper Inn will host Boyle, who will shuck oysters starting at 6 p.m., and host a talk, featuring Ballan and Maureen Dunn from Seatuck Environmental Association.
Long Island oyster growers play a key role in the event. Eric Koepele, president of the Long Island Oyster Growers Association, coordinated the participating growers.
“Long Island Oyster Week is not just a celebration of seafood – it’s a testament to the region’s commitment to sustainability, community engagement, and the revival of a natural resource that purifies our waters and supports local economies,” Koepele said in the news release.
“It underscores the importance of oysters in our ecosystem, highlighting their role in filtering water, restoring habitats, and fostering a connection between the community and its environment,” he added. “During Oyster Week, we honor the humble oyster, recognizing its significance in both our culinary heritage and our ecological future.”
Participating growers include Davy Jones Shellfish, Deep Water Oyster Co., Oysterponds Shellfish Co., North Fork Big Oyster Co., Founders Bay Oyster Farm, Thatch Island Oyster Farm, Eel Town Oysters, Hamptons Oyster Company, Great Gun Oyster Co., Little Ram Oyster Co., Long Island Shellfish Co., Lucky 13, Maris Stella, Neguntatogue Oyster Co., Peconic Gold Oysters, Montauk Pearls and Tallmuthashucka.
Oyster Week will support Half Shells for Habitat, an island-wide partnership that collects waste oyster shells from restaurants, returning them to Long Island’s estuarine waters through oyster restoration and other habitat improvement projects.
Oysters benefit the Long Island ecosystem, with one adult oyster filtering up to 50 gallons of water per day. Long Island oyster farms contribute to the removal of more than 192,000 pounds of nitrogen and more than 57,000 pounds of carbon each year. Growers say that oysters greatly improve overall water quality, free to the public.
Oysters are also full of vitamins and micronutrients such as vitamin D, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids that are hard to find in other foods and are essential to our immune health. More benefits from oysters can be found on the Oyster Week website.