Belon
Harpswell, Maine
The Cult invites the bi-valve curious to taste Belon (aka European Flat), harvested in the Belon River in France and now growing wildly in Maine (since the 50s). Divers collect about 5000 a year, making them a coveted treat. Buzzing with fish, zinc (some say copper pennies), and umami - this delicacy divides oyster eaters straight down the line: In love connoisseurs and abstainers who refrain. Heaven or hell? Do you think you can tell?
mild brine | coppery | powerful
mild brine | coppery | powerful
2.5 - 4.5 inches
Pairs Perfectly with:
- Marcus King
- The Blues
- Fall Festivals
- Shrimp Scampi
FromtheFarm
Our Belons grow wild in 10-20 feet of water. Fishermen dive to the bottom in scuba gear and bring them to shore where they are cleaned and sorted. Divers work from September through June and harvest to order for us! Time to Market: 3-4 years
The Gritty Details:
Seed is grown to 2 inches in floating bags and then planted on the bottom. Colder water slows growth but enables a harder shell. Time to market: 3 to 4 years.
Flavor Influenced by:
- Salinity: 3.0% < 3.5% full oceanic salinity
- Tides: Large cold tides introduce an abundance of food
-
Bottom Makeup: Pebbles & Silt
Patrick S.
The Belon's were deliscious as usual and will always be a favorite. Decided to try the Thunder Cove's and was dissapointed. They were in my opinion bland especially compared to the Belon's. I won't order them again.
Phil B.
What an oyster. An entirely different species from East Coast and West Coast oysters. They’re known for their mineral and metallic taste, in every good sense. They’re a big, fat, meaty oyster. Maybe they’re an acquired taste, but a special oyster and a must try. They range in size from about the size of a slider to the size of a hamburger. A challenge to shuck, but shuckable. After eating a good number of these oysters raw over the past few weeks, I shucked a bunch and made charbroiled oysters. Their large size is perfect to withstand a high heat and they’re just delicious charbroiled.
Jonny M.
Belon’s were delicious even though they were straight gaggers! 10/10!
Lauren M.
First of all, so rad to be able to have access to these rare and special oysters! They were packaged beautifully and everything arrived cold and fresh. The oysters: WOW. Big, meaty, rich meats inside gorgeous “save for later” shells. 11/10 recommend!
Mark N.
I asked for some big ones to deep fry and ROC did not disappoint. Out of 40 about half were huge and I very much appreciate the great customer service on my request. I think for deep frying, these will be my go to. Not complaining, but the big ones especially take some doing to get into...once I got my shucking knife under the joint, I had my wife tap the end of the knife with a hammer several times. Otherwise, I found myself breaking chips off the top shell trying to get it open. Not complaining...for big oysters, it is well worth the extra work. Will order again.
Charlene T.
Large and very tasty !
Erik B.
Wonderful fresh oysters, everyone enjoyed the delicious taste. Very large critters. Also excellent for Rockefeller. Will buy again.
Deirdre G.
These were definitely a different experience from the farmed oysters we ordered this year. They shells were more challenging to pry open and they had a stronger odor right out of the bag. We ate some raw and cooked some as well. Fun to try at least once!
Katherine K.
Decided to be adventurous and try the Belons for Christmas Eve with mixed reviews from our oyster-obsessed kids. As usual, shipped fresh and on time. We shucked half and made oysters casino with the rest. Several of us struggled with the size, although all agreed the flavor was unique but pleasing. Everyone loved them casino style…lots of oyster meat to satisfy! Oyster bucket list item complete.
Quynh N.
Wonderful folks who offer this amazing oyster!
Laurence M.
Simply the best!
Paul L.
Belon monster oysters, steel, did we mention GINORMOUS? Unadulterated oyster-ness, overwhelming….we love them but not for the uninitiated. Are you experienced? Give ‘em a roll….
James F.
Ordered Belons before from ROC and they were great. This batch was way too big and we ended up cutting them up and adding to a stew. Hopefully smaller next time.
Amitav H.
Uncommon but delicious oysters. Arrived promptly and in excellent condition. Everyone who loves oysters should try Belons at least once - their flavor is very unique.
Dennis M.
I have tasted Belons from France but these Belons are larger and equally sublime. Some sweet notes and ocean breeze and salt, will order again soon and suggest that you do so!
Patrick S.
Nice, big, plump, briny, full flavored Belon's ready for some lemon juice and a wonderful, pleasant, large mouthful to be chewed and savored for the unique oysters they truly are. Grew up with these in Europe and have never found a better oyster, different yes, but not better. And they make absolutely wonderful and savory Oysters Rockefeller.
Joe S.
All the Belons were plump and juicy. They all had the super belon flavor. Will certainly order again.
dan l.
One of my favorites. Maybe because they were from France? Large, flavorful, reliably good. I hear that about 5000 are produced in the USA and I single-handedly probably knocked out a percentage of that.
Art P.
I started ordering Maine Belon oysters about 15 years ago from another online seller. They were really amazing a few times and strong and fishy others. Ive ordered twice from ROC this year and they were epic both times. Super fresh big beautiful oysters. All other oysters seem boring now. These are the real deal!
Rory M.
These were wonderfully oystery. Hard to shuck but with new pointed-end knife and chain-mail glove to minimize stab wounds it all worked out well.
Mark H.
Fantastico! Not for the faint of heart. These are hearty, feisty, frisky Belons. One took my knife away and tried to stab me ... his entire gang in now in my belly. HA. These are the definitive oyster ... all other oysters can only wish to be Belon level bad ass. Eat 'em raw and don't whine to ma, son.
Barbara R.
Really loved these, just the right sweetness and briny combination, and the size was like getting two for one!! Your customer service was excellent as well, especially SIMS
Patrick S.
The Goose Flats lived up to everything, nice, big, full sized oysters, a mouthful on the half shell and magnificent as Rockefellers. The Belon's were fantastic, full sized, meaty with the full brine, irony finish and fabulous liquor, absolutely excellent. As far as I am concerned, you can't beat a large Belon but the Goose Flats come in a close second. Thank you Rob and Sim's for this shipment that met all my expectations.
D. A.
Great, fresh, on time, delicious. Fantastic experience.
Dan L.
Very difficult to Shuck. Definitely a unique taste experience.
With the shucking issues, we elected to put them on the Pellet grill, once they opened, removed the tops and smoked them at low temperature (160F) Heavy smoke for 10 minutes. Served some as smoked. Others we used on Oyster Po-Boys. They were DELICIOUS.
Dennis M.
These Belons were larger than the ones I tried in Brittany and they were sublime, evil and scrumptious all at the same time. With a minerally white as I prefer, yum. The only complaint I had was that they were difficult to shuck, more difficult than the other oysters I've tried, though a small price to pay to savor these.
Michael R.
They were amazing especially with the cheese and garlic salt baked!
Clayton K.
The Belons weren't my cup-o-tea. Thought I'd give them a try but a bit too much of a metallic taste for my palate.
Rebecca O.
honestly, the Belon were SUPER HARD to open!!! frustrating for 3 of us, all Oyster Shuckers.
Ended up kinda mangling most of em so I just breaded n fried em. They were very very good. WHAT A COOL LOOKIN OYSTER!! I may not get em again BUT others should certainly TRY EM. unique and delicious. thx.
Quynh N.
My favorite oyster. Not for the faint of heart—like taking a copper penny down with your oyster. These are perfect and the folks at roc couldn’t be nicer.
TOD T.
I absolutely hate writing reviews, and reading them is even worse. But when something is really good - or conversely, horrendously awful - I'll sometimes acquiesce. Belons are a special food, and while it's hardly true that only a scant 5,000 of them are harvested yearly, these Belons are as good as I've had in over 30 years after being turned on to them by the counter guys at the Grand Central Oyster bar, true high priest of the oyster eating world. Beautiful actually. And fresh. Flavorful. And so totally heads and shoulders over mere mortal oyster. Kudos cult guys, great work on this one - will certainly look forward to ordering them again and again considering your fair price and fantastic product!
Joe S.
These belons were excellent. Just what was expected. Meaty and super belon flavor
Roberta T.
Too coppery tasting.
Richard M.
BIG FLAVOR, be ready for heavy metal . i do not believe a great choice for a first timer, grew on me ,very good fried
Robert P.
So, my brother frequently will make the Pennsylvania to Maine run and always enjoys the oyster selection.
So when his birthday rolled around I had the perfect gift from my favorite oyster purveyors. I sent him my favorite, Belons, and of course he loved them.
And the day before Thanksgiving I get a package from Real Oyster Cult.
My brother says that he loved them so much, he reciprocated, and raves about how helpful your staff was when placing his order. So, now
We have unexpected oysters for thanksgiving and you also have another new customer!!!
Sims and Rob….Great Job!!!!
David K.
Real Oyster Cult provided excellent oysters to us, huge fleshy glories. We loved them.
Ryan V.
If you’ve ever had a Belon and know what to expect with the flavor profile, then these are the best Belons you can find. They are beautiful and fresh and a completely different animal from the Eastern Atlantic oyster. Inside the softball sized shells lies a oyster overflowing with powerful flavors: fishy, salty, with a mineral richness reminiscent of organ meats. If you have never had Belons before and are expecting the same flavors as an Eastern Atlantic oyster than you will be disappointed. Go in with a fresh mind and a fresh palette. These are a true delicacy and akin to a finely aged scotch: mature, rich, unique and not for everybody.
Borden B.
1st time with the might belon! No regrets, and looking forward to many more briny encounters!!
Jeff M.
Very tasty but very difficult for me to shuck
Jean L.
It doesn’t get much better than this! Best oysters ever!!
Joe S.
The belons were great. Large and meaty with the distinctive Belon flavor. Loved them.
Erica F.
Amazing… easy ordering experience, reasonable shipping price, and fantastic quality Belons. Would absolutely purchase again!
Mitchell R.
These are very meaty and metallic as the description notes. A bit of a challenge to open, but we’ll worth the effort! I made a smoked onion mignonette that paired perfectly… but equally perfect was Heartbeat hot sauce by Heatonist! Another great offering!
Alan B.
Glad Belons are back. These are no fooling around oysters. Intense. If you love Atlantic oysters and love a strong finish, you must try these. Wonderful if you are an oyster lover. I think ROC is right to describe these as being polarizing because I would not share these with someone who is on the fence about briny oysters. But if you love oysters, try these. Count me among the people who think these are as close to perfect as an oyster can be. Thanks, ROC.
Domenico
Plump, little briny with a metallic finish. You have to have more than a couple of these babies to appreciate their characteristics. A glass of sparkling wine will help downing a dozen or maybe 2.