Cater your next event with Hang Ten Raw Bar.
We specialize in traditional New England raw bars, and are committed to provide you with the freshest and finest Nantucket has to offer. We harvest oysters to order for events, from our own on island farms, Pocomo Meadow, and Devils Creek. Partners Sean Fitzgibbon and Emil Bender started Hang Ten in 2012, they work on the water daily and can answer any questions about how their oysters go from seed to service. We cater to weddings, cocktail party's, birthdays, private dinners, beach party's, corporate events and much more.
OUR FARM’s and shellfish
Pocomo Meadow Oyster Farm is located on the south side of Pocomo Point, near the mouth of Polpis Harbor. The tide rushes twice a day through a narrow channel connecting to Nantucket's main harbor. Directly behind Emil Benders farm is an area of undeveloped salt swamp fed by two tidal creeks that flow into the Pocomo Meadow oyster farm beds. Oysters are filter feeders, and they thrive on the nutrients from fresh water springs bubbling out from the Pocomo Meadow. In this unique, shallow body of water the oysters flourish. They grow fast and develop a very salty brine full of delicious flavor, strong minerality and herbal notes.
Each oyster starts out about the size of a corn kernel and spends its first two years growing in a large mesh bag. Once they've reached three inches long, we set them loose on the seafloor to mature for three months as "free range oysters," where they happily grow fat and full to their shell.
Devils Creek oysters, owned by Sean Fitzgibbon is near Coskata, in the head of Wauwinet harbor. Operated primarily as a deep water farm, where the oysters are suspended under the surface, and grown within floating cages. The oysters are tumbled constantly by wind and surface waves, and so produce hard, polished, deep cupped shells full of plump healthy oysters. The deep water provides endless cool current rich in micronutrients that oysters thrive on. Located far from Nantucket’s main harbor and separated from open Atlantic Ocean by a thin sand dune the pure fresh water springs that spill out of Coskata Forrest give these oysters a very clean brine, with high salinity both rich and refreshing.
We dig our wild clams by hand. Nantucket's harbors are fed by cold Atlantic ocean currents and provide an ideal habitat for these hard shell delicacies. At low tide we go out to our "secrete spots" and dig using hand rakes to sift these clams out of the sand and eelgrass where they live. Quahog clams range in size, top necks are the largest, cherrystones a size smaller, and little necks are the smallest and best for raw bar, since they are especially tender and sweet.
Nantucket is world famous for its wild bay scallops. November through March we commercially fish for scallops, harvesting them from the icy winter waters. They are renowned for their buttery sweetness and are coveted in the best restaurants across America. We serve them on the half shell, or prepare them as a ceviche.
THE SHUCKERS
EMIL BENDER
Emil is a Nantucket Native and avid surfer. He grew up with a father whose work revolved around different commercial fisheries as well as restaurants and catering. Emil attended Brandeis University where he played soccer and graduated with a degree in Environmental Science. He returned home to Nantucket and helped to grow his family farm to what it is today. He runs the Pocomo Meadow Oyster Farm full time with his father Steve, and yellow labs Hugo and Blue.
SEAN FITZGIBBON
Sean is a Nantucket Native. He is an avid surfer, fisherman, and the 1st place winner of 2017 Nantucket oyster shucking contest. Sean graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School and returned home to work as a private chef, and to work on the water, in different commercial fisheries. He loves gathering fresh ingredients and sharing his passion for great food. In 2022 Sean took over and operates full time what is now Devils Creek oyster farm.