Shuck Oysters

[Lise]

I've always wanted to know... how exactly does one shuck oysters? The other day, I got the folks at Superstore to shuck them for me. BAD mistake. They were incredibly inept. I got bits of shell all over - not good considering you want to drown these tasty morsels in one bit.

  Has anyone shuck their own oysters? Any tips? I bought the oyster shuker thingee (whatever you call it) so I'm good to go but would like some feedback from anyone.

[Sportsdude]

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[Lise]

Excellent. Thank you. I was looking for easy-to-follow instructions.

[Sportsdude]

Have fun Lise. I love seafood.  

[49er]

I've never seen anyone doing it with their bare hands as shown in the pics.  It always has been inside a towel and held down with one hand on the counter surface  

[Lise]

If you read carefully, it says not to use barehands but I'm definitely using a tea towel for sure!

  [FONT face=Arial]Step 1:[FONT size=3] [/FONT][FONT size=2]Hold the oyster firmly in one hand, knife in the other.  Slip the knife blade between the top and bottom shell right by the hinge on back. The person in this picture is holding the oyster with her bare hands - WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS! Drape a towel over your open palm and hold the oyster that way - the shell ridges are sharp![/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT face=Arial size=2][/FONT]

[49er]

I would still hold it down on the counter surface to be more sturdy

[Lise]

There are so many types of oysters out there. 49er, you seem to know a lot about these things? Do you recommend going for the smaller ones (I've heard the smaller the sweeter but am unsure) or do you go for the larger ones?

  When I was in Sydney, we usually get our oysters already laid out in a boxes so you can just grab a box to go. I miss oysters quite a bit but have always been scared to open them myself so any hint or aid given will be much appreciated.

[49er unlogged]

I know I like eating oysters.......mostly fried in batter or steamed in black bean paste and green onions.  Once in a long while I get to eat them raw but I prefer the smaller ones then.

  I shucked oysters once to bbq...and I did it holding it down between a towel on a table top.  

[Schadenfreude]

I went to the Boathouse a couple of years back. The waiter asks if I wanted any raw oysters?

I said sure. He asked what kind? I said I had never had raw oysters so I have no idea. He brought out three different oysters. One from this bay and one from that bay. I tried all three. They were tasteless as far as I could tell. The first one I swallowed. The second one I chewed, and the third I put Tabasco on.

I don't see the attraction to raw oysters. Battered and fried sounds better.

[Russ]

I eat them if theres nothing else or just have one to be seen to participate. Unless they are cooked then thats a different story.

  I looked through that linky of SD's and that seems about right. 49er has the key.. What I did, is use a glove (or blanket/towel).. then what I did was force my knife in on one side, pushed in till the tip hit the other side, then with it down on a bench held with a glove, use the leverage to force the knife out the opening. Then use the curved knife to get the bottom with teh tendon sticking to the shell.    

[Lise]

Oh man, Schady, you don't know what you're missing, yo! I love raw oysters. Yeah, it takes a bit of getting use to but once you squeeze lemon juice on them, they're little bits of heaven. I've eaten all types, even rocketfella (spelling?) to oyster motoyaki.

  But I've never tried them fried and battered. Interesting. I must try that sometimes. I think I saw some at Londsdale Quay.

  BBQ oysters, Russ? Never done that but it sounds wicked. I'll try them next time.

  Thanks everyone for the tips. Extremely helpful! Blesses all around.