Maker Β· Fish
Prins & Dingemanse
Yerseke, 1880. What started as oyster trade under Jacob Prins is now the Netherlands' largest mussel and oyster house. Zeeland shellfish from the Oosterschelde, with quality control that traces back to the sector's first ISO certificate.
The story
Who's behind it
It begins in 1880, when farmer Jacob Prins sets up a business at Havendijk in Yerseke for oyster cultivation and trade. Five generations later the name Prins still stands in management: the fifth generation took over in 2013. Along the way the company grew from oysters to lobster (1927), shellfish trade (1931) and fresh mussels (1951).
The name as you know it now emerged in 1980, when Prins and Dingemanse joined forces into Prins & Dingemanse BV. In 2006, when the company was 125 years old, it received the Royal warrant from Queen Beatrix. In 2020 it merged with Roem van Yerseke. Together they are now the Netherlands' largest mussel and oyster processing company.
Two waters
The shellfish come from the Oosterschelde and Grevelingenmeer, the only two Dutch oyster waters. Oosterschelde mussels are salty and refined, Wadden Sea mussels fuller in flesh. That lets you pick the mussel that suits your dish.
Oysters are cultivated by throwing old mussel shells in the water, where larvae attach. They're harvested with nets, known as dredges. In 1995 Prins & Dingemanse was the first Dutch fish company to be ISO-certified. At tastings, they won Prix d'Elite distinctions in 2009 and 2012.
In your kitchen
The creuse is available September through June; in July and August the oysters spawn. That makes it the workhorse for your raw shellfish platter. The flat oyster, native to the Oosterschelde, is finer and rarer; use it as a menu opener. Order oysters by number, so you can match size and portion to your dish.
For mussels you have two routes. Fresh Zeeland mussels from summer onward, where you choose between the salty Oosterschelde and the fuller Wadden Sea. Or cooked mussels that arrive ready-made, per kilo or in two-kilo boxes, so you just finish during service. On your menu, write "Zeeland mussels from Yerseke, Oosterschelde": origin, water and a name that goes back 145 years.
Chefβs tip
Cooked mussels come ready-made into the kitchen: cold from the shell into a salad with fennel and citrus, or quickly reheated in their own broth with white wine. Fresh Zeeland creuse you finish raw with a drop of mignonette, so you taste the salt of the Oosterschelde.
How to use it
Ideas for your menu
Mussels in their own broth
Fresh Zeeland mussels briefly steamed with celery, onion and white wine.
Creuse raw with mignonette
Zeeland creuse to order, served raw with a sharp shallot-vinegar dressing.
Flat oyster, cold
The native flat oyster is finer and rarer than the creuse. Serve cold, with a wedge of lemon, as a menu opener.
Cold mussel salad
Cooked mussels from the shell, mixed with fennel, apple and citrus. Quick to build during service, the mussels are already cooked.
For your menu
βZeeland mussels and oysters from Prins & Dingemanse in Yerseke, cultivated in the Oosterschelde.β
Products from Prins & Dingemanse
What we carry from this maker
Cooked Zeeland mussels
Ready-cooked, per kilo or in a box of two kilos. Directly usable.
Fresh Zeeland mussels
In season, from summer onward. Oosterschelde is salty and refined, Waddenzee fuller in flesh.
Zeeland creuse oysters
Available by number/size to order. Available September through June; the oysters spawn in July and August.
Zeeland flat oyster
The native species. Fine-flavored and limited in supply.
Prices and availability are in the portal. Become a customer or log in to order.
Taste it in your own kitchen
Book a no-obligation tasting with Niels and taste it for yourself.