Summerstone
Crassostrea gigas
Hama Hama's summer oyster, grown bag to beach in the cold water of Port Townsend Bay, Washington. Bracingly briny up front and sweet on the finish, in a cupped shell with a frilled edge.
At a Glance
Summerstone is a Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) from the US West Coast. It is notably briny (4/5 brininess) and moderately sweet (3/5 sweetness), with briny, sweet flavors and a finish that is sweet, after a bracing start.
Flavor Profile
Finish
Sweet, after a bracing start
Expert Notes
Summerstone is Hama Hama Oyster Company's summer oyster. Instead of the farm's home beds on Hood Canal, it grows at Skunk Island in Port Townsend Bay, at the north end of the Olympic Peninsula, where water arriving from the Strait of Juan de Fuca stays cold all summer. The oysters are raised bag to beach, which leaves a well-cupped shell with a delicate frill at the edge. Hama Hama tells customers to expect an oyster that is bracingly briny up front and sweet on the finish. Oysterater calls it about as briny a Washington oyster as you will find. Origin & Characteristics
- Species
- Crassostrea gigas
- Native to
- Japan
- Grown in
- Skunk Island, Port Townsend Bay, Washington
- Size
- Medium (no measurement published)
- Shell Color
- Frilled at the edge
- Meat Color
- Cream to ivory
Where to Try It
Seattle
- Elliott's Oyster House Waterfront
On these menus when we checked on October 1, 2026. Raw-bar lists change daily.
What Tasters Say
Across 4 sources, tasters describe this oyster as:
Unique notes: bracingly briny, ocean oysters, frilly edges
"Expect them to be sweet on the finish but bracingly briny up front."
brinysweet
"As you'd expect from that ocean exposure, these are about as briny a Washington State oyster as you'll find."
brinyoceanic
"They have an extra briny flavor, sweet finish, and beautiful frilly edges."
brinysweet
About the Farm
Hama Hama Oyster Company
Hama Hama Oyster Company is based in Lilliwaup on Washington's Hood Canal. Summerstones come from its Skunk Island farm in Port Townsend Bay rather than from the home beds.
- Cultivation Method
- bag to beach
History & Background
Hama Hama describes Skunk Island as lying at the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula, in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, where the water stays cool through the summer. It calls Summerstones ocean oysters, fed on cold water only recently arrived from deep in the Pacific.
Oysterater files Summerstone under its Hood Canal region because of the grower, though Port Townsend Bay is outside the canal. Metropolitan Market, a Seattle grocer, describes it as a delicate cold-water variety that grows well in summer.
Did You Know?
- Summerstone is a registered trademark of Hama Hama
- The frilled shell edge is a mark of the bag-to-beach method
- Hama Hama also sells a tumbled version from the same Skunk Island farm, called Summer Blues, according to Oysterater
- Oysterater rates its salinity as briny and its size as average
Sources & References
This information was compiled from 4 sources.
- Summerstone Oyster Flavor Profile — Hama Hama Oyster Company
- Summerstone Oyster — Oysterater
- Oysters on the Half Shell 101 — Metropolitan Market
- Summer Blues Oyster — Oysterater
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Learn More
The Big Five: A Complete Guide to Commercial Oyster Species
Comprehensive guide to C. virginica (Atlantic), C. gigas (Pacific), C. sikamea (Kumamoto), O. lurida (Olympia), and O. edulis (European Flat)
Read article → Biology & SpeciesThe Pacific Oyster (C. gigas): Cream, Cucumber, and the Japanese Legacy
Understanding one of the world's most widely farmed oysters - from Japanese origins to West Coast dominance
Read article → Merroir & EnvironmentWhat Is Merroir? How Water Shapes Oyster Flavor
Merroir is the marine version of terroir: how salinity, temperature, tides, and plankton in the growing water shape an oyster's flavor. The science, plus how to taste it.
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