How to Shuck Oysters?
I’m usually averse to using the word “Learn” in my headlines, but did you know that there are actually entire books of knowledge dedicated to shucking oysters? I mean, what the heck?! We don’t need that. I just want to get on with my dinner plans, not take a whole day out of my week to learn something that seems fairly straightforward. Oysters are one of the many foods that are tricky to eat. I’m not saying you can’t shuck them, but what I am saying is that it’s not easy to pull out the meat without getting a mouthful of muck. I know all about it because I used to do it for work!
How to Shuck Oysters?
Buy oyster shucker knife at Fish Me. Oysters have been a delicacy enjoyed by many since time immemorial. And for a good reason – they’re a tasty and nutritious food. To learn how to shuck oysters, you should follow these steps.
Grab the right tools
Here’s how it works: You’ll need a shucking knife and a towel to protect your hand from the shell, plus a very fresh oyster on ice. Hold your knife with a towel-protected hand and pry off the top shell. Use the knife to cut the adductor muscle holding the oyster to the bottom shell, then lift off both shells. Voila! You have raw oysters in your hands, ready to devour.
A small slip of the knife while trying to wedge it between the top and bottom shells or breaking the thin adductor muscle that holds an oyster on its bed can cause big problems, including lost fingers.
Practice before you open
If you’re thinking about shucking oysters, I’d highly recommend not attempting to use a paring knife in the process. While a thin and sharp blade is certainly desirable when cutting and shucking almost any other type of shellfish, like clams and mussels, an oyster knife’s blade is thicker rather than being particularly sharp. The easiest way to shuck an oyster is with an oyster knife. I’ll assume you know the basics of eating an oyster, so I won’t explain how to open one. A paring knife was not designed for this task. While it works in a pinch, the job will be awkward and more difficult than it needs to be. A proper oyster knife, on the other hand, has short but sturdy blade which gives you plenty of room to get leverage when prying apart the shell.
Know the shell size
To shuck or not to shuck? It doesn’t have to be an either-or proposition. In fact, the best oyster cocktails are a synthesis of shucking and mixing—one hand on the oyster knife and the other stirring a cocktail. But before you break out your opener—you can’t shuck an oyster without one—take a second to decide whether you’ll be serving them on the half shell or in a cocktail. The former is straightforward: Crack down from top to bottom on each oyster’s hinge using an oyster knife until it’s pried apart from its shell. Discard the flat top shells and use the cupped shells as serving vessels for your raw oysters.
My first instruction for mise en place on the line is to lay out your tools. For oysters, that means laying out a towel on the counter, along with an oyster knife, the OXO clamp mignon opener, an old folded washcloth draped over a small bowl perched on the edge of the sink, and your empty pint cups stacked neatly next to your shucking station. Then you set up your squeeze bottles on either side of your station, one with fresh lemon juice and the other with melted butter.
