Get your hands on the freshest seafood right on the edge of the Hawkesbury
Food experiences come in all shapes and sizes, and of course flavours, and if you feel like you’ve covered most of them, then you need to take a visit to the Hawkesbury River Oyster Shed.
They say fresh is best, and when it comes to the Hawkesbury River Oyster Shed it doesn't get any fresher. Located right on the edge of the Hawkesbury River, if you're driving south turn left before you head over the Mooney Mooney Bridge, the Oyster Shed was established by Deb and Peter O'Sullivan five years ago, and ever since the duo have dedicated their lives to farming the freshest and highest quality oysters from the Hawkesbury River region.
As with all farming, it’s a tough gig and the last few years haven’t been kind to the industry with Deb explaining,
“In the most recent floods, we lost a load of oysters so now we’re about a year behind in spat production, which are the baby oysters, and with it taking up to 3 years for spat to develop into oysters it’s really put us behind."
"That’s one of the reasons we started the Oyster Shed so we could expand the business. We started out doing prawns and oysters and it’s just got bigger from there, on busy weekends we can open up to 600 dozen oysters."
What’s to love most about the Shed is the relaxed and friendly atmosphere, don't be expecting a sleek fit out or fancy furniture, it's all about making the most of the 180 degree water views of the Hawkesbury River and allowing for the quality of the product to shine.
On our visit Deb was kind enough to serve up one of their spectacular grazing boards and is the perfect way to experience all that the Oyster Shed offers. When it comes to the oysters natural is, of course, the way to go, however, if au natural isn’t your preference the ‘Topped Oyster Selections’ may be more for you.
Whether it's the French Natural which combines seaweed vinegar, prawn oil, eschallots, and green onion or for those who like a kick the Japanese Natural with soy & wasabi dressing, sushi seasoning, and pickled ginger will hit the spot.
If you're an Oyster Mornay or Kilpatrick type of person you won't be disappointed, and for those obsessed with flavours from Korea you’ll be loving the Korean Natural which features sesame dressing, fried shallots and topped with fresh green onions.
The menu isn’t limited to oysters, the extensive list covers everything from Smoked Mullet and Salmon, Scallops, Lobster and Blue Swimmer Crab, big juicy Tiger Prawns and Schoolies, as well of lots of local produce to accompany the share plate experience.
With the market being fresh you can of course expect a few menu surprises, you just never know what you may get from one visit to the next.
The Hawkesbury River Oyster Shed is a BYO bottle of wine, beer, gin, or whatever makes you happy venue, just make sure you have your designated driver organised as it's super easy to settle in for the afternoon, eating, drinking and catching all the happenings on the Hawkesbury.