Prying open the shells of oysters can be tricky business, but with a little practice you'll be shucking them like a pro in no time! Chef Joe Rieke from Ballard Annex Oyster House in Seattle shows us how easy it 
is to shuck an oyster. First, you need a good oyster knife like the one on the right ($8.99 on Amazon.com), and a clean kitchen towel. Also, ask your fishmonger to place a little bit of shaved ice in a plastic bag for you when you purchase your oysters. Place the ice on plate to serve your half-shells and to keep them from sliding around.
Watch the short video below and be sure to subscribe to Foodista’s Kitchen Secrets video series for more how-to culinary tips and tricks. Here’s to happy slurping!
The Ballard Annex Oyster House serves fresh seafood seven days a week—plenty of oysters and shellfish, whole Dungeness crab and Maine lobster, and house-made bisques, chowders, and soups made-to-order at the steam bar. Be sure to visit the Ballard Annex Oyster House for some great seafood!
Video Transcription
Hi my name is Joe Rieke, I’m a chef here at the Ballard Annex Oyster House, located in old town Ballard in Seattle, Washington. Today we are going to talk about how to shuck an oyster. First thing we are going to do is take our oyster knife. There are many oyster knives out there. These are my favorite with the long pointy blade. Put it right at the crux where both shells meet. Push firmly but not too hard. And then twist. It is all about leverage and not about force. Once you have twisted and released the top shell from the bottom shell, angle your knife slightly and go across the right hand side about a quarter inch into the oyster. There are two muscles that connect the shells and what you are doing right now is separating that muscle while keeping the blade as close to the top shell as possible. Once that first muscle is sheared, you are going to want to go underneath and shear the second one. Both of these connect the oyster to the shell. Give it a little flip for presentation’s sake. And there you got an oyster.
