In Kamenari you can order oysters directly to your yacht. A dozen arrives by small boat in about twenty minutes — no fuss, no packaging, the way the locals eat them. Restaurants in Kotor don't do this, guidebooks don't mention it, but oyster farms have lived in the bay for two hundred years. If you're booking a charter and you love seafood — this is what to order, from whom, and why from the water.
"For a long time I didn't understand why our oysters tasted better than the ones in French restaurants. Then I got it — it's not about the mollusks, it's about how they get eaten. Ten minutes from sea to deck is a different product." — Captain Alexey
Oysters from Kamenari
Kamenari is a village on the south side of the bay, by the ferry crossing. Family oyster farms work here — four or five, mostly from the Radović family. What they grow: Ostrea edulis — the European flat oyster. Not the round Pacific kind sold in supermarkets. The European has a more mineral taste, less of the "ocean sweetness", and a clearer note of iodine and metal. The French call it plate, the Italians piatta. How to order from a yacht: along the way to Kotor or Perast, passing Kamenari, we call the farm. Fifteen to twenty minutes later a small motorboat brings the order. On deck — opened oysters on ice, or closed with a knife and glove (in case you want to do it yourself). Pay cash directly to the boat. The price is €12-18 per dozen depending on size. Best season: September to March. Summer — they're there, but smaller and less deep in flavour. Winter is peak.
How we serve them
Standard — on ice, with lemon wedges, sometimes a drop of tabasco or a teaspoon of mignonette (wine vinegar with shallot). Bread and butter on the side. No over-engineered sauces. The local tradition is simple: oyster, lemon, dry white wine. With oysters we open Krstač — a Montenegrin dry white. Produced on the slopes near Skadar Lake. Mineral, not sweet, good with shellfish. A bottle is €18-25, we usually have two on board.
Prawns from Miloš
Miloš is a fisherman from Prčanj, with a spot at the dock halfway to Kotor. Not a shop, not a restaurant — just a pier where he sorts his morning catch. We pull in here on the way to Kotor — it's the midpoint. Tender to the pier, pick from what's there. What's usually available: tiger prawns — €25-35 per kg; blue langoustines — €40-60 per kg (when in season); pink scampi — €18-25 per kg; sometimes lobster (€80+, rare). Best season: May to October. In winter Miloš isn't on the water. We take the prawns alive and grill them in the same cove within an hour of buying. That "from sea to plate in an hour" only works on the water.
What else worth trying
Black mussels — dagnji in Montenegrin. In season (August-October) — €8-12 per kg. We cook them with white wine, garlic, parsley. Eat from the common pot, dipping bread in the broth. Sea urchin — jež, in Bigova. Served fresh, you eat it with a spoon straight from the shell. Locals consider it a delicacy, tourists often don't understand. Season — summer. Sea bream or sea bass — standard grill fish. Morning catch from Tivat, a kilo for two. €18-25 per kg.
A specific moment — oysters on the water at sunset
This is a scenario we suggest for romantic dinners: 12-hour charter, last stop near Perast or Prčanj, we order a dozen oysters + a bottle of Krstač + sunset. Guests pay separately for oysters and wine (about €40-50 per couple), but the effect is a different day. Not "lunch with seafood", a scene.
What's not usually written
In peak season (July-August) Kamenari may not have oysters in the quantity you want. Tourist restaurants in Kotor and Budva buy them in the morning from the farm. We call the day before and reserve. If you have an 8-hour charter with oysters — better to mention at booking. The prawns at Miloš sometimes sell out early too — by 11am on the pier there may be nothing left, especially Saturday. If breakfast on the boat is planned with prawns, we WhatsApp him the day before. And: not all tourists like the local flat oysters. They're used to sweeter Pacific ones, and the European plate has a more metallic taste. That's not "bad" — it's a different flavour. Try one before ordering a dozen.
How to add it to your charter
At booking, say: "we want oysters from Kamenari" or "drop by Miloš for prawns". We plan the route around it, call the farms in the morning, pick up along the way. Not a separate premium add-on — it's part of the route. You pay for the food directly (€30-80 for the group, usually). We charge nothing for the organising.
