Like cheese makers, those who cultivate oysters along America’s coastlines have also felt the loss of restaurant business during the pandemic. Though it’s long been possible to order fresh oysters, shipped to your door, from some of these oyster farms, there are more to choose from now. (Oysters keep in the refrigerator, unopened, for more than a week.) Then you can either plan on roasting or steaming them open or arm yourself with a proper knife and protective glove — some of the farms also sell the gear. Here are some sources: Peeko Oysters, New Suffolk, N.Y., peekooysters.com; Montauk Pearls, Montauk Shellfish, 631-902-7829 for local delivery; Stella Mar Oyster Company, Stamford, Conn., stellamaroysters.com; Island Creek Oysters, Duxbury, Mass., islandcreekoysters.com; and goldbelly.com supplies oysters nationwide directly from Mook Sea Farms in Maine, Wellfleet Shellfish Company in Massachusetts, and White Stone Oyster Company and Rappahannock River Oysters in Virginia.
Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.