Fat Bastard Oysters

What Are Fat Bastard Oysters?

Fat Bastard Oysters are premium farmed Pacific oysters from Taylor Shellfish Farms in Willapa Bay, Washington. They belong to the Pacific oyster species Magallana gigas. The line is cultivated for roughly three years before reaching market size. Chefs and distributors recognize them as an oversized cousin to Taylor’s popular Shigoku program.

On the half shell, Fat Bastard oysters deliver a clean, crisp read with salinity near 30–35 ppt. Bold brininess hits first from Willapa Bay’s tide-tumbled floating culture. Sweetness builds mid-palate without muddy notes. Plump, liquor-rich meats offer a satisfying chew typical of the farm’s largest tumbled stock.

Deep cups and smooth, polished shells mirror their smaller Shigoku counterparts—just scaled up noticeably. Shells carry the same stylish, tumbling-hardened finish with heavier weight in the hand. Meats sit generous in the cup with clean liquor when shucked. Typical sizes run 2.75 to 3.75 inches, nearly double the volume of a standard Shigoku.

How Did Fat Bastard Oysters Get Their Name?

Fat Bastard Oysters take their blunt trade name from their oversized profile on the shellfish line. Taylor Shellfish Farms markets them as tumbled Shigokus grown to exceptional size in Willapa Bay. The branding plays on their plump meats and deep cups rather than a geographic label alone. Buyers see the Fat Bastard name on tags, distributor manifests, and Taylor’s retail site.

The name distinguishes this specialty line from Taylor’s standard Shigoku oysters, which share the same floating-bag cultivation method. Where Shigoku stops at a moderate market size, Fat Bastard oysters are held longer to reach 2.5 to 3.25 inches or more. That extra grow-out nearly doubles the cup volume diners notice on the raw bar. The playful moniker has become shorthand among chefs for Taylor’s largest tumbled Pacific stock.

About Taylor Shellfish Farms

Taylor Shellfish Farms has a rich history that dates back to 1890 when the Taylor family began farming shellfish in the waters of the Puget Sound. The family’s legacy started with the tiny Olympia Oyster in Totten Inlet, and every generation since has grown up with a passion for shellfish. That multi-generational commitment shaped one of the most recognized shellfish brands on the U.S. West Coast. Today the farm produces Fat Bastard and other half-shell oysters from tidelands in Washington and British Columbia.

The company, in its current form, was started in 1969 as Taylor United by brothers Edwin and Justin Taylor, grandsons of James Y. Waldrip, an early Washingtonian who came to Seattle to work rebuilding after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. Justin Taylor, in particular, saw the potential of Puget Sound for a thriving shellfish farming community and was a strong advocate for water quality and an innovator of farming techniques.

Over the last thirty years, the company has expanded its product line to include geoduck, mussels, and a variety of half-shell oysters. Bill and Paul Taylor and their brother-in-law, Jeff Pearson, lead the company with a family-oriented approach across more than 500 employees, including their children. Taylor Shellfish Farms is now the largest producer of farmed shellfish in the U.S., with over 11,000 acres of tidelands along the Washington and B.C. coasts. The company protects those waters and supports local farming communities, with Fat Bastard among several half-shell brands grown under this family operation in Willapa Bay and beyond.