Go to the Article: Tips & Tricks: Quick, Easy Way to Shuck a Bunch of Oysters
Shucka da bunch! LOL! :-)
That's shucking brilliant.
Nice trick for sure - but if the oysters open, you lose all of the delicious briny juices. Guess there's a trade-off - speed for juice - but if you're opening a bunch, it might be worth it.
The best thing about shucking an oyster the hard way is you leave salty water in the shell. Oysters don't taste half as good when washed like you get in most restaurants. Hope i am not poo poking a great idea
"You can drive your car with your feet if you want to, but that don't make it a good idea." - Chris Rock
Tempting, but the brine is loaded with salty flavor. I would be heartbroken if they opened up and filled with tasteless tap water.
Those oysters certainly look spectacular, but how do people around the ChefSteps kitchen feel about losing the oyster liquor with this method? Was there a significant difference in flavor and texture?
if your doing it for a crowd that's just going to slather it with cocktail sauce, its a no brainer.
shuckalicious.
Yes, I see this as an "Oh crap, I have to prepare a ton of oysters ASAP" kind of thing.
This is pretty vague. How long should they be in the water? 30 seconds, 1 minute? what's the water to oyster ratio?
There is no ratio for the water to oyster. You simply need it to maintain a boil. As far as time, you just want to give an oyster or two a test at about 30 seconds. Most oyster regardless of their size need about 30 seconds. But some very large ones require 45 seconds at a boil.
Honestly, I have been shucking fresh oysters since I was about 5 on the beaches here in the Pacific Northwest as well as in some very nice restaurants around the world.
I cant imagine that the "brine," "liquor," or whatever you want to call it is a major deal, especially when you are adding flavors. That said, if you use this method correctly, you dont lose any of the liquor in the oyster so its a mute point. I'd say give it a try and dial in the time to minimum possible blanching and I think anyone would be pretty pleased with the results.
I just posted above:
You certainly are not, in this technique you dont actually lose any of the brine if you are careful with your timing. I also have had more oyster eating experiences ruined by bits of shell in my teeth so I guess you need to pick your battle.
Aw shucks
Sacrilege.
Will give it a go, how long would you think would be the max time in the boiling water to soften the muscle but not open the oyster and contaminate liquor.
Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! Should have included this info in the original post.
Joe tast is everything, if you only had oysters that some one has shucked and washed the grant't method will be fine for you. Where I live you can buy oysters shucked or unshackled, I never buy them shucked because you loose the natural sauce on the dish.
Try the diff
Got it, thanks for the reply sir. This sounds like an awesome cheat, especially on our craggly wellfleet oysters over here!
Terrific. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us. I will definitely give it a try.
Since they cook a bit, does this affect the smell and looks? Don't want to eat a bad oyster because of this.
(moot point) That said this looks like an awesome technique, it's incredible how many people know how terrible and "sacrilegious" this is having never tried this before. The Chefsteps team has never led me astray with a technique or recipe so I have grown to trust them. I don't think their new plan is to make everyone eat crappy oysters for no reason.
What kind of oysters are these in the video?
Will this work for little neck clams as well? Love the idea. Thx
I think the gaggle of bikini-clad super-models that are lounging on the deck of my boat better get shucking. Honestly, it's a really fun party when people get to participate. Seems like a good idea in general but I'd hate to lose the brine with bad timing of this technique.
In theory, a pencil torch should work just as well, perhaps? We can simply target where the abductor is.
Oh, that sounds awesome! First time we've heard of these but let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Hi Janet, it should technically work but the location will be slightly different and it may not be quite as easy with clams. Thanks!
