How To Shuck an Oyster.
We realise that not everyone eats oysters regularly so here we are offering some tips to help you deal with them.
Oyster shucking is easier than you might think and, to some, the ritual of opening oysters is part of the theatre and experience of consuming them, along perhaps with a crisp glass of wine, bubbly, a cold beer or even a shot of vodka.
Learning to open an oyster is fun. It may take a few goes to perfect and it’s enjoyable to practice opening while you eat oysters with friends!
Make it stand out.
Firstly, understand your oyster
An oyster has one flat shell, the top shell, and a cupped shell beneath. The cup holds the oyster meat and some liquid, also known as liquor. The oyster shells are joined by a hinge at the pointy end and a muscle, the adductor, which keeps the shell tightly closed when the oyster is out of water. First you have to break the hinge with a strong pointed instrument and then you have to cut the adductor muscle with a blade. These actions release the cup from the top shell. The latter can then be discarded.
Baby oysters look exactly the same as their parents, only in miniature, and are about the same size as a pinky nail when we first receive them at the farm. An oyster shell grows over the years in layers, looking a bit like frills, which can often be seen on the outside of the shell. Also on the outside of the shell there may be some remaining barnacles or some green algae that grows naturally on the shells in the sea. The inside of our oyster shells are silky smooth and marbled in beautiful oyster beige or creamy white colours.
It takes three to five years of growth for oysters to reach market size at our farm.
For shucking you will need:
An old tea towel or soft cloth.
An oyster shucking knife to break the hinge or, if you don’t have one, a firm clean flathead screwdriver meant for small screws.
An oyster shucking knife to cut the adductor muscle, to release any meat from the top shell and, optionally, to flip the meat for presentation. Or, if you don’t have one, a short but strong and blunt kitchen knife that you are not precious about.
An oyster shucking knife is sturdy with a rigid and short blade. It is not usually sharpened and it has a rigid, pointed tip.
We recommend that you don’t try breaking the hinge with a kitchen knife. You don’t need a sharp and pointy blade for the job, it’s a bit risky, and the knife and its owner may not be happy!
Follow the six steps below to Shuck your oysters!
Step 1: Place the oyster FLAT SIDE UP on the towel, and flip the towel over it to leave only the hinge (the pointy end) showing. You want to hold the oyster down onto a sturdy table, keeping the oyster level to avoid losing the liquor once you open it.
Step 2: Hold the oyster on to the table with one hand - this is the hand that also needs to be protected from slips with the knife, so remain aware of this hand while you learn to shuck! You could wear a protective glove on the oyster-holding hand.
Step 3: Taking the oyster knife in the other hand, focus on the hinge and press the point of the oyster knife or small screwdriver into the hinge a few millimetres. You need to put pressure into the area and wiggle the tip until you feel the hinge give. Don’t remove the knife from the oyster when that happens, work the knife tip back and forth and aim to twist the knife from both sides of the knife tip to prize the top shell upwards a few millimetres. Don’t insert the knife too far into the oyster at this stage or you might damage the flesh.
Step 4: Once you have prized the top shell partially off, don’t remove the knife yet (unless you want to swap to a small kitchen knife to cut the muscle) - you need to move the knife tip 1 to 2 cm inside and along the underneath surface of the top shell, working away from the hinge and releasing any meats from the top shell as you go. You will eventually meet the abductor muscle, which you’ll need to cut through. This releases the oyster cup from the top shell. Keep the knife angled upwards, to avoid the meat of the oyster, and you will eventually feel the knife meeting the abductor muscle where it’s connected to the top shell.
Step 5: To locate the abductor: if you are right handed then you will probably hold the shell in your left hand with the pointed end of the shell towards you. You’ll find the abductor attached to the top shell on the right hand side and towards the widest part of the oyster. Once the abductor is cut, go round the rest of the top shell with the blade to release any meat that’s attached to the top shell. The top shell should then come away cleanly and can be discarded.
Final Step: Flip it! Chefs often present oysters by flipping over the meat inside the shell before serving. Many think the oyster is more attractive this way. Trickier than it sounds because they are slippery so don’t be frightened to give this idea up. Not essential but you could serve them in their cup shells on a bowl of crushed ice, which helps to keeps them chilled and hold them level.
Eating OYSTERS One of the finest delicacies of the seas!
Serve fresh oysters in their opened shells, chilled, on a bed of ice.
Oysters are often eaten raw, slid straight out of the wide end of the cupped shell into the mouth. The liquor in the shell is intrinsic to the flavour of an oyster but if there is too much then pour a little out. Eat them as they are or with just a dash of sauce - the simpler the better. Don’t be frightened to chew the oyster to enhance its flavour and the experience.
Oysters are also fabulous lightly cooked, and cooking them can be a nice way to encourage people to try them for the first time!
Taste notes –
The taste of an oyster varies according to where it is grown. Rather like wine taste varies by terroir, an oyster’s location, climate, water quality, salinity and food sources all serve to make up its flavour and texture profile.
Cape Wrath Oyster farm is the most northerly oyster farm on the UK mainland. We can attest to the remote, wild and unspoilt nature of the kyle in which they are grown and believe that the wild seas, fresh environment and at times extremely harsh climate of Cape Wrath all help to contribute to our oysters’ uniquely fresh, clean and wonderfully briny flavours, and creamy texture.
Weather, mineral content of the water, salinity, tidal exchange of the water in which they grow, and the care with which the oysters are handled all make a difference to the taste.
To savour the oyster chew it a couple of times when you eat it, this will expand the flavours in your mouth and pay due respect to the oyster.
Oysters are nutritious and flavourful, a great treat and a great way to start a party or meal.
Words used to describe our oysters include sweet, plump, creamy texture, clean taste, fresh briny flavour, a sweet finish – and we are particularly pleased whenever we hear they are the best oysters ever!
Cooking oysters
Cook them gently to keep them tender. You don’t want to overcook them. Shuck the oysters open and release the meat from the shells then prepare them for cooking as you prefer. Keep the liquor in the shell and add flavours on top.
You can steam unshucked oysters too, which opens them while they cook.
Garlicky - creamy oysters
Pour off a bit of the liquor in the oyster (to make space for cream!) and sprinkle on top some crushed garlic, chopped parsley, some panko breadcrumbs if you want, and grated parmesan or gruyere cheese. Top with fresh cream and put in the oven to bake (or grill) for about 5 or 6 minutes until bubbling.
Oysters Rockerfeller
A traditional recipe devised by a chef in New Orleans. A version of oysters topped with breadcrumbs mixed with garlic, herbs and butter.
Our home-made version is to melt a good few lumps of butter in a pan with crushed garlic. Cook that gently for a minute then add finely chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley and any others you like, a grating of lemon zest and good squeeze of lemon juice. Add freshly ground pepper and homemade or panko breadcrumbs. Brown this mixture gently in the pan for a few minutes then spoon some on top of each shucked oyster. You can sprinkle on paprika if you like, or a tiny pinch of cayenne for a kick of heat. Bake for about ten minutes.
Salt n pepper oysters
In a plastic bag, shake the shucked oyster meat in cornflour, a little salt and a good quantity of freshly ground black pepper then gently shallow-fry in vegetable oil until golden, serve hot with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of chopped parsley. Serve the oysters in their washed and dry shells, or arranged on a plate.
Traditional condiments:
A squeeze of lemon – enhances the flavour of the oyster, keeping the purity of the taste.
A drop of Tabasco (or Tabasco and a squeeze of lemon is also great).
Mignonette – a vinaigrette of finely diced shallots, red wine vinegar and cracked black peppercorns. This lovely sauce accentuates the oyster flavours.
Cocktail sauce or a spicy hot sauce.
All of these and more add to the oysters’ flavour in different ways.
Serve with
Champagne, prosecco or a chilled glass of white wine.
Beer goes well with oysters in a cocktail or hot sauce.
Sauces for oysters:
Oysters are best served raw in their shells, they look stunning and the shell is all part of the experience, and theatre, of oyster eating.
Little soy sauce dishes or tiny ramekins or tiny teacups look great with a few different sauces in them to spoon on and compliment your oysters.
Eat the oysters straight from the shell or, if you want, use a little fork to lift them out of the shell. They are fabulous tasting on their own. Give them a couple of chews to savour the taste.
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice is all that’s needed.
Traditional shallot vinegar, or mignonette to use the correct term, is a great accompaniment for oysters. Very finely chop a shallot, add some red wine vinegar, salt and cracked black pepper and It’s ready to serve!
You can spice up your mignonette if you like – try a bit of fresh chilli de-seeded and chopped very small and or grated fresh ginger. A smidge of sugar works too if it needs toning down or balancing.
You can add a finely diced bit of cucumber to this spiced sauce for some freshness.
An Asian-inspired sauce is using soy sauce (a couple of tablespoons) and about half that quantity again of sesame oil, a teaspoon of grated ginger, some thin slices of spring onion, a finely chopped small clove of garlic and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Adjust the quantities of each of these to your taste.
Traditional cocktail sauce. Mix some fresh horseradish or from a jar (preferably straight horseradish not horseradish cream sauce) with some tomato ketchup. Mix well and chill in the fridge before serving.
Spicy cocktail sauce. Mix together a tablespoon of tomato ketchup, a teaspoon of horseradish, fresh if you can get it otherwise from a jar plus a good dash of Worcestershire sauce, a little tabasco or other hot sauce to your liking, juice of half a lemon.
Hot sauce. Tabasco! Or any other chilli hot sauce that you like might work. My favourite way to eat an oyster is with a squeeze of lemon and a drop of tabasco – goes down a treat with some white wine or chilled beer.
Chilli sauce. Very finely mince a fresh green chilli with a couple of spoons each of freshly squeezed lime juice and red wine vinegar. You can add fresh chopped coriander leaves to this too if you want and salt to taste.
Oysters Rockerfeller