Chef’s Notes
Mason Bostwick · Executive Chef
Eastern oyster
1620 is John and Matt Nickerson’s bottom-planted Eastern on Plymouth Harbor CCB42. Mud and sand densify the cup; liquor runs nori first, then vegetal, unlike floating Duxbury bags. I buy them when I want a winter South Shore cup that still says Plymouth on the band.
Flavor chart
Chef palate read
Shuckability
Shell & line performance
When I buy it
Ask for 1620 bands tied to Plymouth CCB42, not a generic South Shore lot. John and Matt Nickerson farm the line; Island Creek often carries it seasonally. Confirm harvest week when the SKU is limited.
How I serve it
Plate on crushed ice with virgin liquor intact. The nori-leaning brine and vegetal mid-palate fade under heavy mignonette. One-line menu copy can cite Plymouth and the 1620 name.
What to watch for
Spawn-season milky liquor can appear on Eastern oysters in warm months. Shorten hold times through midsummer even though winter harvest is a farm selling point. Bottom culture can pick up sediment odor after hard weather — taste a cup before service.
My read
Matt left the lobster boat after 1997 for a year-round lease. John came off a construction retirement at sixty. The 1620 band is their Plymouth Harbor cup — nori, then vegetal, easy hinge.
What Are 1620 Oysters?
1620 Oysters are Eastern oysters grown by John and Matt Nickerson in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The lease sits in shellfish area CCB42, Plymouth Harbor on Cape Cod Bay. The name marks the 1620 landing in America’s Hometown. Seed is bottom-planted on mud and sand, not held in floating bags. Grow-out runs about 18 to 26 months before harvest.
Mud insulates the beds, so harvest can continue through colder months. Island Creek Oysters often sells the lot as a seasonal partner SKU. That company calls the mud-and-sand floor gold for shell density and meat flavor. The Nickersons waited five and a half years for a four-acre town lease. Consistent full-time harvest began in 2019.
Bottom planting on Plymouth mud and sand sets 1620 apart from floating-bag farms in Duxbury Harbor. Bay-floor contact builds a full cup and a hinge Island Creek calls easy to shuck. On the half shell, tasters report complex nori brine, then a strong vegetal mid-palate and full cups. Chefs use the 1620 band to name Nickerson Plymouth stock. All stock is Crassostrea virginica, not a generic Massachusetts lot.
How Did 1620 Oysters Get Their Name?
The 1620 name ties the farm to the year the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth. America’s Hometown still uses that date as civic identity. The Nickersons put the year on the oyster, not a separate farm LLC. Their oysters celebrate Plymouth’s maritime heritage. Chefs who menu by place can read the band as South Shore Plymouth.
Distributors print 1620 on carton bands when the Plymouth lot is in rotation. The label is geographic and historical. It is not a cultivar name or a shell-color brand. Buyers should treat it as Nickerson Plymouth stock, not a generic Massachusetts Virginica lot.
About the Nickerson Farm
John Nickerson and his son Matt run 1620 as a family farm in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Matt started lobstering in 1997. After twenty years on a boat he moved into shellfish aquaculture. Rising lobster regulations and a desire for more sustainable, year-round work drove the change. The name honors the year the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth.
John retired from construction at sixty and joined his son on the water. Together they spent more than five years securing a four-acre lease before commercial production. Thirty-three people still sit on Plymouth’s aquaculture waiting list. Their first full-time crop came in 2019. Family and two friends still help them expand the farm.
The Nickersons bottom-plant 1620 Oysters on the mud-and-sand floor of Plymouth Bay. Thick shells and deep cups come from that bay-floor contact. The liquor still reads nori first, then vegetal. Mud insulates winter beds so harvest can continue in the cold.
Grow-out runs about 18 to 26 months before market. John and Matt handle planting, lease work, grading, and harvest. Two friends work the farm beside that family crew. Island Creek Oysters often carries the finished shellstock.
Follow Them
Follow 1620 Oysters through Island Creek Oysters’ Plymouth product page for farmer notes, grow-out detail, and seasonal retail packs. John and Matt Nickerson do not run a separate public farm storefront online. Chefs can also use Island Creek chef direct when the 1620 SKU is in rotation. Call Island Creek wholesale if you need Plymouth CCB42 bands and current harvest timing.
The Cultivation Process
Seed goes to the bay bottom rather than floating bags. Mud-and-sand substrate protects oysters in winter and supports cold-month harvest when conditions allow. Bottom contact densifies the shell. Island Creek notes the finished lot is easy to shuck. Grow-out lasts about 18 to 26 months on a small-crew lease.
1620 Oysters Information
Eastern oyster
If you like 1620 Oysters, then check out these similar varieties!
Location
The Nickerson lease sits in Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts, inside DMF area CCB42 on Cape Cod Bay. Bottom culture uses a mud-and-sand floor that eases winter extremes. Plymouth sits on the South Shore, outside Duxbury Bay’s floating farms. The farm still sells into the same New England Virginica market. New four-acre grants still compete with that long municipal wait.
Tidal exchange from Cape Cod Bay feeds phytoplankton to bottom-planted stock. Storm runoff and bay sediment can foul nearshore beds after heavy weather. Chefs should taste a sample cup after a nor’easter even when tags read Plymouth. Winter mud insulation is why the farm can harvest in the cold. Distributors rotate South Shore lots quickly after closures lift.
Environmental Factors
Bottom planting interacts directly with bay-floor sediment. Mud can protect winter beds but also demands post-storm quality checks. Eastern oyster spawn biology still applies in warm months regardless of culture method. Respect Massachusetts sanitary closures and distributor advisories before raw service.
Suggested Beverage Pairings
Clean rice polish mirrors the nori-leaning brine on 1620 Oysters without masking vegetal mid-palate. Subtle sweetness frames Plymouth bottom culture on a raw-bar flight. Serve chilled beside virgin cups.
Chalky minerality pairs with dense 1620 cups after the nori opening. Fine bubbles reset the palate between full Plymouth Virginica bites. Keep it beside the half shell, not under a heavy mignonette.
Farmhouse phenolics sit beside 1620’s vegetal richness while carbonation resets salinity. The beer’s dry finish keeps nori-brine notes from feeling flat.
Low-tannin gamay suits the nori-brine opening on 1620 Oysters. Bright fruit lifts the vegetal mid-palate without fighting Plymouth liquor. Keep the pour cool beside the half shell.
Nutty oxidative depth supports the vegetal finish on 1620 Oysters from Plymouth bottom culture. Served cold, it bridges savory liquor and a warm kitchen pass. Use it when the raw bar wants sherry instead of Champagne.
Where Can I Buy 1620 Oysters?
You can buy 1620 Oysters from the following sources:
- Island Creek Oysters — 1620 from Plymouth — Partner product page with farmer, site, and grow-out detail for the Nickerson Plymouth lot.
- Island Creek Oysters — chef direct — Wholesale and restaurant PO route when the 1620 SKU is in seasonal rotation.
- Browne Trading Company — Portland, Maine distributor sourcing Northeast farm oysters including Massachusetts South Shore tags when listed.
- Fortune Fish & Gourmet — Regional seafood distributor carrying New England farm oysters; ask for Plymouth CCB42 or 1620 bands when available.
References
- Island Creek Oysters. 1620 Oysters from Plymouth, MA — partner product page. Accessed 21 May 2026. https://shop.islandcreekoysters.com/products/1620-oysters-from-plymouth-ma
- NOAA Fisheries. Eastern oyster (*Crassostrea virginica*) overview. NOAA Fisheries Species Directory. Accessed 21 May 2026. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/eastern-oyster
- Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Shellfish classification areas — CCB42 Plymouth Harbor. Accessed 28 Aug 2026. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/shellfish-classification-areas
Discover more from The Oyster Encyclopedia
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.