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How to open an oyster
How to shuck open an oyster.
Opening an oyster is like popping the lid off of a can of Cocoa Powder. There are two parts to every oyster the topside, smaller shell, which is the lid that opens. The oyster opens this top shell underwater. It does not open the bottom shell, which is large and cupped shaped and holds the oyster. There is a muscle that is 3/4’s of the way to the hinge of the oyster that opens and closes the top shell. Your job is to sever that muscle without cutting open the stomach. You ruin the essence, the reason why we eat raw, cold oysters if you cut open the stomach. It’s a botched job. Botched oysters are often seen on many plates of oysters served in many restaurants that have a novice opening the oysters. Send it back and ask for one that is opened correctly. At over $2 a pop, you should get a proper one. Badly opened oysters at a seafood restaurant are a perfect way to not get repeat customers.
First and most important is the tool that you are going to use to shuck the oysters is not sharp or acutely pointed. Oyster cuts are for some reason very slow to heal as are barnacle cuts. That’s why you see shuckers using a glove on one hand to hold the oyster. The real oyster knife looks like some one bent the tip of a throwing knife that has a dull point and is not sharpened. It has a large white plastic or wood handle that facilitates the leverage required to open the oyster.
Secondly, great force or strength is not required. We have a bird on the cape the size of a pigeon called an Oyster Catcher. It has a long orange beak and it can open oysters, so it does not take strength or a very large brain; so it seems.
Place the oyster top side up on a wooden cutting board. You really don’t need a glove but those rubber kitchen gloves work well. Pick up the oyster without jarring it awake which makes it harder to open. If they think that they are going to be eaten, oysters hold on to the door with all the strength they can muster. Face the hinge toward you and with your left hand press lightly down on the other end to hold it in place on the counter. Now keeping the cocoa can lid in mind put the point of the knife between the hinge at it’s largest gap. Press down with your right hand on the handle. If you are lucky the oyster partially opens just enough to sneak the tip in under the top. Do not use a lot of force to open the oyster, twist and press not push. Pushing will eventually cause you to spear yourself. Press once more and slip the tip into the oyster a half an inch avoiding cutting the stomach. You do this by keeping the handle bent downward. Slide the blade over the stomach to the muscle and sever it. You can feel the blade as it tracks along the top of the shell. The top shell will come off. Now make sure that you sever the muscle on the bottom shell by sliding the knife under the stomach. Another very common mistake served up by the novice is to not cut this muscle. It again ruins the eating of the oyster. The oyster should slide of the shell into your mouth easily. Drain off a little juice to get rid of any bits of shell or mud by tipping the oyster slightly. Use the knife if you have to. Don’t wash the oyster under a stream of water. God forbid, as I have seen it done in one of the famous restaurants in Boston.
The secret to opening oysters is to not cut the belly of the oyster. To make an oyster that has been mangled a bit to be more presentable is to turn the oyster over in the shell putting the cut side down and unseen. The plump pearly part of the oyster is always on the bottom and goes unseen by the diner. If you have time, it is not too hard to turn over all of the meats and they will look shiny. Remember to always cut the bottom mussel too or the oyster will remain attached and make it harder for the diner to consume. A word of free advice. While shucking oysters at a party in your house don’t let a guest try to open their first oyster. It can get kind of messy. You could lose an oyster, a quest and possibly a lawsuit. Somebody call 911.
Another trick on serving fresh oysters if you have to open quite a number of them for a party or buffet is to open them the night before using them. I mean opening them only, not removing the top shell. Just break open the hinge, but do not separate the mussel leaving the top shell on the oyster. Place back in the refrigerator on a level plane so that the liquor does not drain out. Then when you shuck them the next day it only takes a moment to remove the top shell. It will make you look like an oyster shucking pro. If you don’t tell anyone.
Lastly, oysters last for a long time (weeks) in the refrigerator at 35 degress if kept in a pot with a good fitting lid. Overtime they give off a little bit of an ocean smell which is only coming from the moss that is on the out shell. As long as they are tightly closed, they are in there hiding. Don't worry we will only send you just harvested oysters.