Swell Oyster Shack
Russ Hilliard and Conor Walsh of Swell Oyster Co. have been harvesting fresh Atlantic oysters in Hampton Harbor since 2017. Until last year they were only selling their product to area restaurants. Now, Swell Oyster Shack (1 Ocean Blvd., Unit K, Hampton, 760-8279, swelloysterco.com/the-swell-shack), the company’s new retail space, is open on the Hampton State Pier, offering its own harvested oysters, hard- and soft-shell clams and bay scallops, plus all kinds of other shellfish sourced from other farms in New Hampshire and New England. Hilliard and Walsh also sell an assortment of other items out of the shack, like house-made shrimp ceviche, shrimp cocktail, canned bluefin tuna from a local fisherman, and heat-and-serve clam chowder to go, plus shuckers, clam knives, gloves and other take-home tools. Swell Oyster Co. also continues to sell its oysters to several local eateries, such as The Atlantic Grill in Rye, Row 34 in Portsmouth and Tino’s Kitchen + Bar in Hampton. The Scene recently caught up with Hilliard, a Hampton Falls native, to talk about Swell Oyster Co. and what you ought to try when you visit the shack.
How long has the Piping Plover Baking Co. been around?
It was two years this past January that I started, so January 2019.
What makes the Piping Plover Baking Co. unique?
That it’s just simple, honest baking. There is nothing decorative or ornate about anything that I do. It’s just simple and pure, and the whole reason I keep it that way is just to bring happiness to people, to put a smile on their faces. That’s all I really want. A lot of people that I bake for don’t always get to have treats because they can’t have dairy or they can’t have soy or they have some sort of allergy or sensitivity. … So it gives me great joy to give that to them.
How long has Swell Oyster Shack been around?
We opened the first weekend of November [2020]. We had actually purchased a retail space … with a vision of taking a direct-to-consumer sales avenue. It was just something that was kind of on the back burner at first, and then the pandemic really exacerbated the need for that outlet. In the spring we started selling oysters out of coolers on the front porch, because the building inside was not yet finished, and then all last summer we spent time building it out.
What makes Swell Oyster Shack unique?
You can taste oysters here that come from all the way up and down the New England coast. The other thing that’s super-unique about us is that we are a restaurant-quality shellfish provider, but not a restaurant. … So you can come here and get the same oysters and shellfish that you would at a restaurant, but instead take them home and shuck them yourself.
What is your personal favorite item that you offer?
That would probably be the shucked to-go platter. It comes with a house-made cocktail sauce and house-made cucumber and shallot mignonette, and also shaved horseradish and lemon wedges. … You can put together your own platter of oysters from us and from other places, and every one of them is going to taste different. Some might be more briny or more salty, some might be more mild-tasting … It all depends on where that farm is located and how the oysters there are grown.
What is an item that everyone should try?
It sounds cliche, but I definitely recommend tasting all of the different oysters that we have. We like to be able to teach our consumers all of the nuances of farming and how it creates different flavor profiles.
What celebrity would you like to see trying one of your products?
Seth Rogen. Conor and I are huge fans of Pineapple Express.
What is an essential skill to running this type of business?
In this business, I would say management and creativity. I would also say resilience, and just being able to roll with the punches.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
Being so close to the ocean. We’re both big surfers and we love just being on the water.
— Matt Ingersoll
Featured photo: Swell Oyster Shack. Courtesy photos.