10 Things You Should Know About Oysters
How to order and eat oysters like an expert, whether you’re enjoying them at restaurants or at home.
There’s nothing like enjoying a freshly shucked oyster, especially on a hot summer day. Many people find ordering and eating oysters to be a fraught experience, but don’t worry. As the founder of La Patiala, the luxury encyclopedia, I am an oyster expert. In honor of National Oyster Day on August 5, I’ve compiled this handy oyster guide to teach you the essentials of ordering and eating oysters in restaurants or at home.
There Are Two Main Types Of Oysters: East Coast & West Coast
East or West is a common refrain at oyster restaurants, but there’s so much more than that. All East Coast oysters are the same species, but they have different flavors based on where they are from. West Coast oysters are typically one of two different types: Pacific or Kumamoto. Pacific oysters are the most common oyster in the world; you’ll find Pacific oysters across Europe. Kumamoto oysters are Japanese, and they’re small and creamy. The major difference between these oysters is their brininess. East Coast oysters are much saltier and taste like the ocean, while West Coast oysters tend to be less salty and more creamy, sometimes with a hint of sweetness. The best way to find your favorite is to order a selection of different types and make notes as you enjoy them.
Opening Oysters Is Called ‘Shucking’
If you’ve ever sat at a raw bar, you’ve seen experts opening dozens of oysters at dizzying speeds. While it might look difficult, it’s actually easy enough to do at home as long as you have the right tools. You can’t use any old knife to shuck oysters, and there are some poorly designed oyster knives out there. Find a knife with a tapered blade that can slide into the hinge of an oyster.
To shuck an oyster, put it cup side down on a flat surface, hold it with one hand, and wiggle the knife into the hinge of the oyster. Use some pressure until it slides in. Then, turn the knife to open the shell. Put it back into a horizontal position and slide it down the oyster to cut the top muscle. Clean your knife and then slip it underneath the oyster to cut the bottom oyster. Voilà! You’ve shucked your first oyster. Check out the video below if you want to see it in action:
How To Eat Oysters
Sure, you can use a fork to pick up the oysters, but why not eat them like a pro? Here’s the proper way to eat oysters. Pick up your oyster, use the miniature fork to be sure the oyster is not still connected to the shell, add your preferred toppings, and tip it into your mouth—liquid and all. You can chew once or twice, then swallow it. Take the empty shell and place it upside down in the same spot. That way, you know how many oysters are left and don’t miss any. Don’t put the empty oyster shell on your plate or on the table.
Please Leave The Cocktail Sauce For Shrimp Cocktail
Oysters are typically served with lemon, mignonette, hot sauce, and cocktail sauce. But I prefer to eat oysters with just a couple of drops of lemon or mignonette. Cocktail sauce and hot sauce have very powerful flavors, and they dominate the oyster, especially if it’s delicate. Oysters are expensive—sometimes $4 per oyster—so you don’t want to hide the delicious flavors. Keep the cocktail sauce for your shrimp.
Store Your Oysters In The Fridge—Not In Water
While you might think you should keep your oysters in water, after all, they live in the ocean; that’s a surefire way to kill them. Oysters need salt water, and they will die in freshwater. The best way to store your oysters is to place them cup side down in a bowl, cover the bowl with a wet dishcloth, and place it in the back of your refrigerator. They’ll keep for up to a week this way, especially if you change the dishcloth daily.
How To Order Oysters
If you want to experience the different types of oysters, the best place to do so is at a specialty seafood restaurant or oyster bar. A lot of restaurants serve oysters, but usually just one type, and you won’t be able to discern the nuances unless you’re trying them side by side. Order four to six different types of oysters, and be sure to get two of each. First, go around the platter and try one of each, remembering the flavors, brininess, and texture. In the second round, you can compare them based on your notes — eating the briniest together, for example — and come up with your winner. Of course, you should save your favorite ones for last.
Wine Or Beer?
While oysters alone are fantastic, they’re even better with the right drink. Both wine and beer pair nicely with oysters. Pick one that’s not really overpowering — so no hoppy IPAs or heavy red wines. A dry, unoaked white wine, like Chablis, Albariño, or Gruner Veltliner, is a wonderful pairing, as is Champagne. For beer, a light beer or a Pilsner is a good choice.
Where To Find Oysters
You can buy oysters at many grocery stores and specialty seafood stores. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You’ll want to know when the oysters arrived to be sure they’re fresh and ask about the different flavor profiles. Many oyster farms sell oysters online, so you can order the best oysters in the world for overnight delivery. If there’s an oyster farm near you, they probably have a shop or a way to buy oysters directly from them so you can save on shipping costs. Some of my favorite oyster farms are Island Creek Oysters and Hog Island Oyster Co., and Goldbelly has a large selection of oysters from across the country.
What’s That Smell?
If your oyster smells like sulfur or rotten eggs, throw it out immediately. This is a sure sign that the oyster has gone bad. If you are shucking the oysters and see there’s no liquid inside, throw it out, too. Oysters should be tightly closed. If an oyster is open, that means it’s dead, and you should discard it.
Yes, You Can Eat Oysters Year-Round
There’s an old saying that you should only eat oysters in months that end with R. Why? Well, 100 years ago, refrigeration and food safety weren’t as good as they are now, so in hot summer months, oysters would spoil more easily. Today, governments strictly monitor water quality for bacteria and have requirements for keeping oysters cold as soon as they are shucked, so illness from oysters is very rare. That said, oysters are at their plumpest and most delicious in the winter, so be sure to enjoy them in the cold months as well.
