How to Shuck Oysters

Posted on October 18th, 2009 by Marck

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading ...

No Comments (Post Comment)

Republish

Fresh oysters have been eaten for centuries for their healthful properties, aphrodisiac qualities, and refreshing taste. It takes some time and practice, however, to shuck fresh oysters to get to the tasty, refreshing meat found inside. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide to shucking oysters.

Buying Oysters

You can buy most oysters fresh from the wharf or the dock, where oyster farmers sell oysters by the kilogram. Fresh oysters can also be bought from supermarkets and fish markets. When buying oysters, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Oysters should remain closed. If the shells are half-open, they should snap shut quickly when they’re touched.
Oysters should not smell, except for the fresh smell of the sea. If oysters stink, chances are that they’re dead.
The depth of the lower shell should give you an idea of how much meat is found in the oyster. The deeper and heavier it is, you can get more bang for your buck because the oysters are weighed along with the shell.

Tools

To shuck fresh oysters, you need the following tools:

Towel
Gloves
Oyster shucking knife (you may use any other semi-rigid knife, but you run the risk of injuring yourself in a worse way that if you used an oyster knife)

Steps

Follow these steps to shuck fresh oysters:

Wash the oysters thoroughly. A light scrubbing with a brush and running water should wash the oysters but not coax out the liquor inside the seashells.

shucked oysters

Place the oyster in one protected hand (with both a glove and a towel) and hold it firmly and securely.
Insert the knife on one corner of the shells, and run the knife in between the groove around the shell. It will take quite a bit of effort, so get your arm muscles working.
Run the knife to the other edge of the “lip” of the oyster. You may need to make a little twisting motion along the way to loosen the grip of the oyster. Make sure not to severely damage the meat inside, but that you should completely loosen the membranes that give the oyster its grip.
Give the knife a twist at the end to pop open the oyster shell. Make sure not to lose any of the precious oyster liquor. Do the same for the rest of the oysters.

It takes a lot of practice and skill to shuck oysters properly to serve them fresh, or cooked as oysters Rockefeller or as part of soups and stews. With these steps, you can shuck oysters like a pro if you take the time out to hone your skills with a knife, a protected hand, and a bucket of the bounty of the seas.