This Restaurant’s Dessert Oyster Is the Best Twist on a Savory S’more Yet

Longer days and shorter nights are finally here, and the warmer weather is creeping in. Yes, my winter-weary friends, summer is just around the corner. And with all the campfires we’ll enjoy once we can actually sit outside, s’more season will have finally arrived.

But this year, rather than biting into the traditional combination of marshmallow, Hershey’s milk chocolate, and graham cracker, one seafood spot wants you try something new. 

Fleet Landing, a seafood restaurant and raw bar in Charleston, South Carolina, recently launched its new Sm’oyster, which it calls a “bold and unexpected take on the classic s’more experience.” As the name implies, the dessert includes a roasted oyster topped with chocolate, toasted marshmallow, and graham cracker crumble.

Although it’s safe to say oyster s’mores aren’t trending online yet, users on social media have been experimenting with savory s’mores recently. The snack typically involves toasting cheese over a fire, then sandwiching it with crackers and charcuterie.

This isn’t the first time Fleet Landing has tested a sweet shellfish creation. Chef Lucas Hanagriff, the raw bar manager of the restaurant, tells Food & Wine that “in thinking about what we could do special or different, the thought of a dessert oyster crept in. I had never seen or heard of such a concept in my limited oyster eating and research.” He explains that earlier this year, he was inspired by an unexpected treat: Girl Scout Cookies. 

“A certain chocolate and mint cookie was left in my presence after hours, and while I enjoyed one staring at oyster shells, I wondered what a salty version would be like,” he jokes. “This led to our first dessert oyster: an oyster topped with crushed chocolate and mint cookie and vanilla bean whipped cream (or ice cream). It was nice to enjoy, but I felt like something was missing.”

Hanagriff notes that his team gets “plenty of requests” for baked oysters Rockefeller. However, working at a raw bar with no oven makes this a difficult request to fulfill. Still, it got his wheels turning, and he thought, “What if we had a torch, like for crème brûlée, that we could use on an oyster? Smoked oysters are done aplenty, so we passed on that option. Well, the wheels continued to turn, and as we had previously played with a dessert oyster, the following thoughts led to torching a marshmallow or something similar.” 

And this quickly led the team to s’mores. 

“I started to envision brûléeing the fluff in front of the guest, to bring a more unique level of service to such a small plate. As it turns out, the smells generated from roasting the marshmallow tend to take the guest on a tour that gets them smiling before they even enjoy the oyster,” he shares. 

If you’re skeptical about what this tastes like, Hanagriff says it’s similar to a saltier s’more. And as anyone who’s ever tried salted chocolate will tell you, adding an unexpected touch of salinity can be incredibly delicious.

“Much like salted caramel, the flavors work well together. We don’t use a regular marshmallow. We make a fluff from sugar, honey, and egg whites. The use of honey really helps bring out some flavors shared with the graham cracker, which are enriched in the torching process.”

At first, Hanagriff says, most people look at the staff like they “have two heads when we tell them we have a dessert oyster to offer.” He notes that this is fair considering he’s never seen a dessert oyster on a menu either. But according to the oyster expert, the most common response from those who do try the treat is usually, “Why does that work?!”

If the sweet side of shellfish isn’t quite your thing, you’ll find plenty of other oyster innovations at Fleet Landing. The restaurant offers a secret menu — which we have some rare insight into — that includes options like a caprese-style oyster, a coastal martini oyster topped with cucumber, mint, and gin, and even a Buffalo oyster with candied bacon, Buffalo sauce, wildflower hot honey, and a sliver of celery as a garnish. If you’re interested in trying items on the secret menu, just talk to your server while visiting the restaurant.

The restaurant loves to come up with creative new ways to serve this ingredient, because it’s still all about the oyster. As Hanagriff says, “God and mother nature already made the oyster perfect, so we like to try and take that greatness to another level.”