Cold-water Maine oysters (Glidden Point, Pemaquid, Bagaduce, Nonesuch) shucked to order and served on crushed ice with mignonette, lemon and cocktail sauce.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Maine's modern oyster industry started in the 1980s with the Damariscotta River farms (Glidden Point Oyster Sea Farm, founded 1987 by Barbara Scully). The cold, plankton-rich Damariscotta brine produces the canonical Maine oyster: small, cold, briny, with a sweet finish. Portland's Eventide Oyster Co opened 2012 with a granite oyster bar built to serve them; Scales and Boone's Fish House quickly followed. Today Maine farms produce more than 4 million oysters annually; the Maine OysterFest at Harvest on the Harbor in October showcases every farm.
Common allergens: Shellfish
Tip from the editors. Eat within an hour of shucking. The oyster liquor is the canonical sip; do not drain. If new to shucking, use a Kevlar glove.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Eventide Oyster Co on Middle Street opened 2012 from Big Tree Hospitality, rebuilding the Maine oyster bar around a brown-butter lobster roll on a bao.
Signature: Brown butter lobster roll, Oysters on the half shell, Smoked bluefish pate
Order: The brown butter lobster roll on a Bao bun, plus a dozen oysters from the granite bar.
Tip: Walk-up only for the bar; tables open online via Resy 30 days ahead.
Scales on Maine Wharf, since March 2016 from Sam Hayward, Dana Street and Victor Leon (the Fore Street team), with whole local fish and a raw bar.
Signature: Maine lobster roll, Whole local fish, Raw bar oysters
Order: The Maine lobster roll, then a half dozen Glidden Point oysters.
Tip: Lunch from 11:30, dinner from 17:00. Resy reservations recommended; the bar takes walk-ins.
Boone's Fish House on Custom House Wharf reopened 2014 on the 1898 Boone's site from the Harding Lee Smith group, with lobster rolls, halibut and chowder.
Signature: Lobster roll, Pan-roasted halibut, Fish chowder
Order: The Maine lobster roll on a New England top-split bun, plus fish chowder.
Tip: Daily lunch and dinner; the deck fills early summer evenings.
Harbor Fish Market on Custom House Wharf has been the Portland working waterfront's retail fish counter since 1969, with lobster, fresh-cut fish and oysters.
Tip: Open daily; shipping is available nationwide for live lobster. The wharf storefront is the iconic Old Port photograph.
More cities are in research. Want maine oysters on the half shell covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.