7 Oyster Common Mistakes, from Shucking to Storing

When it comes to cooking or preparing oysters, there are a lot of rules—make sure you're not breaking any with this rundown of the most common mistakes
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Peden + Munk

It's one thing to belly up to your favorite oyster bar and order a dozen. It's another if you want to order a dozen from your fish monger and crack them open yourself—or cook them into a stew, or fry them into crunchy bundles of happiness. These bivalves have to be handled with care and know-how, lest you end up with shell shards, miss out on flavor, or worse. We chatted with our test kitchen to identify the common oyster mistakes people make and how to avoid them.

1. <del>Grab a Bag from the Supermarket</del>

"Get your oysters from a place you trust," says senior food editor Dawn Perry. It's crucial to buy oysters from a source that treats them safely and with care. Like most bivalves, oysters need to be kept cold and alive until the moment you cook or slurp them up so that they don't attract harmful bacteria that'll make you really sick.

2. <del>All Oysters are Created Equal</del>

"There's a huge difference among East Coast, West Coast, and Gulf oysters," says assistant food editor Claire Saffitz. West Coasts usually are small and sweet, East Coasts are clean and briny, and Gulf oysters are meaty. Explore different varieties and see which ones you like. The best way to do it? When you're traveling, eat the local oyster.

3. <del>Throw Them into the Fridge for Storage</del>

Get those oysters on ice, stat! Keeping them as cold as possible will keep them fresh. "Otherwise, they'll spoil and smell, and it'll be a bad situation," says Perry. It doesn't matter if you're cooking them or serving them raw—keeping them cozy with a bag of ice is your best bet.

4. <del>Get a Knife, then Shuck Away</del>

"Use a towel or an oyster glove when you're shucking," says test kitchen contributor Jesse Dameck. Even though you don't need to apply much pressure when you wiggle your knife into the oyster's shell, slips happen—you want your hand to be protected. It's also important to use an actual oyster knife. "Please don't use a paring knife," says Dameck. It'll be a much more gnarly scene if you slip, and it'll dull your knife. As for how to shuck? We'll let our own Andrew Knowlton show you how in this video.

5. <del>Shuck 'Em Ahead of Time</del>

"It's important to shuck your oysters as close to serving time as possible," says Saffitz. Keeping them in the shell until you use them will help keep them fresh and free from debris. If you have to ask your fish monger to shuck them for you, use them as soon as you get home. Also important: If one of your oysters is cracked with its flesh exposed, ditch it immediately—it's probably spoiled.

6. <del>Dump All That Oyster Juice</del>

"Reserve the liquor!" pleads Saffitz, using the official term for an oyster's natural "juice." Not only is it an important part of the raw oyster experience—it tastes amazing when eating oysters raw, and is also great when added to soups and chowders. Make sure the liquor is clear, then slurp away.

7. <del>Serve with an Array of Sauces!</del>

"A good oyster should taste like itself," says Saffitz. "Don't disguise its flavor with an abundance of sauces and mignonettes." And not just any old mignonette. "A good mignonette is just a vinegared shallot," says Perry. "Not a little shallot in vinegar." Also, if your oyster is covered in hot sauce, mignonette, and cocktail sauce, it's less likely that you'll smell a bad oyster—something you'll definitely want to avoid.

8. <del>If It's Not Raw, Cook the Heck Out of It!</del>

Oysters, like most seafood, should be gently cooked. "I don't love eating hot oysters—unless they're fried," admits Perry. "But I like them in a light, airy batter, like in our Hangtown Fry recipe." When it comes to serving oysters in stew or chowder, add your oysters last and simmer until just cooked through, which shouldn't take more than a couple minutes. If they're overcooked, they'll be unpleasantly rubbery.