What the Waters Gave Me
Ben Jacobsen of Jacobsen Salt Co. explains what salt and oysters have in common—plus, his list of Portland’s best meals on the half-shell
“A healthy oyster population is a leading indicator of great salt,” says Ben Jacobsen, who should know. The one-time software-marketing executive is now producing some of the finest artisanal sea salt in the U.S.—in the gray waters of Netarts Bay, Oregon, also home to some of the Pacific coast’s richest oyster beds.
Jacobsen was an M.B.A. student in Copenhagen when a Danish girlfriend introduced him to the pleasures of European-style salt. Once back home, he set out to revive the centuries-old art of domestic sea-salt making in the Pacific Northwest. His first task: nailing down the refining process: “It took me two and a half years to figure out how to make something great,” he says. The next step, however, was just as challenging: finding the right water. “I tried more than 25 spots from southern Oregon to the northern part of Washington to find the best water, testing the results side-by-side,” he says. “Netarts Bay was far and away the best.”
“I tried more than 25 spots
from southern Oregon to the northern part
of Washington to find the best water,
testing the results side-by-side”
Jacobsen recently opened a new satellite office and tasting room in Portland, but Netarts Bay, a five-mile long bay on Oregon’s northern coast, remains home to his salt-making operation. Favored by such chefs as April Bloomfield and Chris Cosentino, Jacobsen Salt Co. salts reflect the qualities of the West Coast’s most pristine bay: They’re impossibly bright, white and delicate, free from any astringent or bitter aftertaste. “Our salts are intentionally and very deliberately clean, washing the mouth with a briny, oceanic taste,” he says.
Great water not only produces exceptional salt—it makes for wonderful oysters, too. So it’s no accident that Jacobsen’s business is situated on an old oyster farm, just across the bay from Netarts’ Pacific oyster beds. While they serve as a health barometer of sorts, oysters are also propagators of clean water—the integral ingredient of Jacobsen’s salts. “A single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, so they’re a really great natural filtration system for us,” he says. Fittingly, the defining traits of Netarts Bay’s Pacific oysters mirror that of his salts: “They’re very briny, clean, and almost a bit sweet,” says Jacobsen.
Ben Jacobsen’s Guide to Oysters in Portland, Oregon
Ox; The Whey Bar – 2225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97212
“An offshoot of Argentinian-inspired Ox, The Whey Bar features Nevør Shellfish Farm oysters from Netarts Bay. Aside from a great preparation, I really enjoy the variety in the mignonettes.”
Smallwares – 4605 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97213
“Chef Joanna Ware’s take on oysters, featuring a genuinely ‘inauthentic Asian’ presentation for her oyster du jour.”
Bar Avignon – 2138 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202
“Exceptional, classic preparation of Netarts Bay oysters. Expert oysterman chef Eric Joppie is a master.”
Foster’s Craft Cooking Oyster Social Pop Up – roaming
“Led by chef Jared Foster, a great pop-up raw bar that makes its way around local breweries in town. “
