A platter of freshly shucked oysters can make an evening at home feel like a visit to your favorite seafood spot. Ari Kolender, chef and co-owner of Queen’s Raw Bar & Grill and Found Oyster in Los Angeles, wants home cooks to feel confident preparing them. His cookbook, How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea, brings that same practical approach to fish and shellfish.
“Shucking an oyster is the most intimidating part of serving them at home,” Kolender says. “But once you learn the basics, it becomes really quick and easy.” Though they may seem tough, these rough-shelled filter feeders have a hinge that gives an oyster knife a way in.
Whether you’re hosting a seafood extravaganza or simply want to learn a new party trick, Kolender shares his essential step-by-step process so you can shuck oysters like a pro. All you need is a towel, an oyster knife, and your favorite toppings.
Before you begin, scrub the closed shells under cold running water to remove grit. Keep the oysters refrigerated until you’re ready to shuck, and discard any with cracked shells or open shells that don’t close when tapped.
1. Identify the Hinge
Place the oyster in a folded towel in your nondominant hand, with the flat side facing up. Find the hinge at the pointed end, where the top and bottom shells join.
2. Insert the Knife
Fold the towel over the front of the oyster, leaving the hinge exposed. Hold the oyster firmly with your nondominant hand and work the tip of your oyster knife into the hinge. Gently twist the knife until you feel a pop and the shells begin to separate. Pull the knife out and give it a quick wipe to remove any dirt or debris.
3. Separate the Adductor Muscle
Slide your knife inside, keeping the blade against the underside of the top shell. Shimmy it along until you reach the adductor muscle, which holds the shells together, then cut through it to release the top shell. Keep the oyster steady in your towel-covered nondominant hand as you work.
4. Finishing Touches
Discard the top shell and carefully remove any shell fragments or dirt from the oyster. Slide your knife beneath the meat to cut the adductor muscle where it attaches to the bottom shell, keeping as much of the oyster’s brine as possible. “If you shuck a particularly grimy oyster, you can let some of the brine out, but never, ever rinse them,” Kolender adds.
5. Dress and Serve
Unless you’re eating them straight from the shell as you shuck, nestle each oyster into crushed ice as you go, keeping it level to preserve the brine. Serve with classic toppings like fresh horseradish, lemon, cocktail sauce, and Tabasco, or take some inspiration from Queen’s and dress them with a tangy rhubarb mignonette.
