Fort Morgan Navy Cove Oysters
Fort Morgan Navy Cove Oysters
Navy Cove Oysters Co. joined a growing movement along the Gulf Coast producing boutique, prized oysters for the half-shell market in 2011. Its home at Fort Morgan’s Navy Cove was at one time a camp for Indians, an anchorage for pirates, and a U.S. Navy base during the War of 1812.
The farm’s location at the intersection of Mobile Bay and the salty waters of the Gulf means its oysters are constantly bathed by tidal exchanges between the Gulf and the bay.
“We’re very close to the bay and have very high salt water most of the year-round, and the nutrients that come down bay make the phytoplankton so abundant that the oysters grow very quickly here,’’ said company co-owner Dr. Chuck Wilson. “They’re very fat, succulent, sweet and with a hint of salt most of the year.”
Navy Cove Oysters are characterized by a rich, creamy, buttery texture and sweet, cucumber-like finish. Its oysters carry a prominent racing stripe across the shell surface and are easy to shuck with a bill or hinge oyster knife.