How to Shuck Oysters, an excerpt from shellfish cookbook How to make love to a lobster – book on sale at Monte Snow’s Fisherman’s Market, Bedford HWY.
To this day, no machine has been invented that can properly do the shucking job. Although you’ll probably never match the three-hundredper-hour output of professional shuckers employed by packing plants, with a little practice you should eventually manage to open two or three dozen in the same length of time.
With a stiff brush, scrub the oysters under cold running water. To avoid spoiling their natural flavour, do not let them sit in water as they will only absorb it. Professional shuckers suggest that before opening an oyster, you study it to spot the point where the shell is most likely to give—usually at the hinge or on the rounded edge. They also think it’s a good idea to shuck them over a strainer, to catch the bits of shell as well as the juice.
Wear a heavy glove (oven mitt) or wrap the oyster in a towel. Then grasp it firmly in your left hand (if you are right handed), with its cupped or heavy side down. Insert the tip of a sharp oyster knife between the two shells on the rounded side or at the hinge. Twist and wiggle the blade to force them apart. Once the bivalve has released its suction-like grip, sever the muscle by sliding the blade along the inside of the upper shell.
Remove the shell, then carefully slide the knife under the oyster to cut through the lower muscle. For serving, meat and juice now should be on the curved half shell. Here are two other methods for getting under the shell:
Ernie Porter plans an oyster farm in Antigonish Harbour. The Notebook photo.
Breaking in with the deep shell down, hold the oyster firmly atop a block of wood, allowing the bill, or edge of the shell, to jut out just beyond the edge of the block. Using the tip of a small
hammer or a pair of pliers, snap off the edge of the shell. Slide the oyster knife into the opening, working it back and forth until the adductor muscle is freed from the top shell. To sever
the bottom muscle, dip the blade into the cradle shell below the meat.
Be careful not to pierce the oyster when you use the knife as a lever to pry the shells apart. A word of warning: Always check the oyster in the half shell to see if it contains bits of shell
that may have broken off during the break in.
Baking in scrub the shells with a stiff brush under cold running water. To relax the adductor muscle and ease the task of opening the oysters, microwave on high, three or four at a
time, for one minute.
Serve as is or use in your favourite recipe.
