Ropewalk to host inaugural Oyster Fest
FENWICK ISLAND – Whether sliding it down the hatch or chewing it with a spot of hot sauce, nothing tastes like Delmarva quite like an oyster.
Ropewalk A Fenwick Island Oyster House in Fenwick Island will host its inaugural Oyster Fest on Saturday, April 26, featuring a variety of East and West Coast oysters for about $2 each. Local band Monkey Paw will play at 1 p.m., with acoustic duo Barry and Phil at 5:30 p.m. In addition to the restaurant’s permanent playground, kids can play on a moon bounce at the event.
The festival also raises funds for the Oyster Recovery Partnership, an Annapolis-based nonprofit which recycles oysters shells.
Over the last century, disease and over-harvesting have killed oyster populations, but returning thousands of those shells back to the water helps create a natural reef where the oysters can settle and spawn. The partnership teams up with several restaurants throughout the mid-Atlantic region and will collect oyster shells from the event for its hatchery in Cambridge, Md.
“For every half shell we recycle from this event, we average about 10 baby oysters seeded to that shell at the hatchery and then planted back into local waterways,” said Bryan Gomes, a spokesperson for the partnership. “(Oysters) help clean the waters and help provide a good habitat for blue crab and striped bass.”
For fans of tasty bivalves with a briny bite, the plump Chincoteague oysters grow up in a high salinity environment. Ropewalk will also feature its signature “Ropewalk Liberties,” a salty local variety harvested from the restaurant’s private bed in Tom’s Cove, Va.
“They’re pretty mild with a medium cup,” said Molly Thomas, general manager at Ropewalk. “They’re a good oyster lover’s oyster, they’re not too briny.”
Ropewalk has also expanded its menu to include West Coast oysters, known for their lower salinity and cucumber or melon notes. The restaurant does not usually sell the variety, but was forced to broaden its offerings for the festival after stormy weather and frozen waters farther up the East Coast created an oyster shortage.
Local weather has fluctuated too much this season to cause a local shortage, but beds in New York, Connecticut and throughout New England are still frozen over, said Frank Campanella, head chef at Ropewalk.
“The ice is too thick to take a boat out and too thin to drill and through,” he said. “When you go with seafood, it’s a battle with Mother Nature.”
The polar freeze has not affected Campanella’s other business, Godfather BBQ, which will bring its professional barbecue team to the event. Godfather will smoke pork butts and briskets overnight on Friday to be served the following afternoon.
Patrons can pair a fresh oyster with 16 Mile Beer or with a white wine. Campanella prefers lagers or crisp spring beers for pairings and recommends cleansing the palette between different oysters with saltine crackers.
“You’re gonna notice subtle differences,” he said. “Some will have almost a citrus note or a sweetness to the flavor. At the end of the day, they’re all oysters.”
lgiangrec@dmg.gannett.com
302-537-1881, ext. 204
On Twitter @LeighGiangreco
IF YOU GO
Oyster Fest
Where: Ropewalk, 700 Coastal Highway, Fenwick Island
When: Saturday, April 26, 1-9 p.m.
Cost: About $2 per oyster
Call: 302-581-0153