{"id":63564,"date":"2022-08-01T20:47:38","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T00:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themainemag.com\/?p=63564"},"modified":"2022-08-01T20:47:39","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T00:47:39","slug":"how-to-shuck-an-oyster-like-a-mainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themainemag.com\/how-to-shuck-an-oyster-like-a-mainer\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Shuck an Oyster Like a Mainer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you love Maine, and you’re lucky enough to not be allergic to shellfish, you’ve eaten your share of raw oysters. Maybe you\u2019ve even done the loc<\/p>\n\n\n\n

al thing and traveled to Glidden Point Oyster Farms on the Damariscotta River for \u201cBYOB\u201d and \u201cshuck-your-own.\u201d But are you prying open your bivalves the right way? And by that we mean the Maine way. \u201cThere are nuances that really make it efficient, and the best oyster possible to eat,\u201d says Libby Davis, cofounder of the popular mobile raw bar called Lady Shuckers. First off, don\u2019t be an idiot. \u201cPeople have used slam knives, butter knives, flathead screwdrivers. Don\u2019t,\u201d says Davis. Use an oyster-shucking knife. Hold the knife in your dominant hand and cradle the oyster in your nondominant hand, flat side up. \u201cI like to put my thumb on the blade of the shucking knife so that I get a little bit more leverage,\u201d explains Davis, \u201cand then I wrap my fingers fully around the handle.\u201d Look down. Are you wearing gloves? You should be. \u201cDefinitely wear protection,\u201d says Davis, who recommends an aquaculture glove, something rubber dipped with fabric on the back. \u201cSome of the knives can be pretty sharp, especially right out of the box. In case of any slip you don\u2019t want a trip to the hospital and, in my case, to be out of work for two weeks. That\u2019s not fun.\u201d Hold the oyster and knife firmly and look for a small hole, or point, where the two shells come together. Put the tip of the knife in this apex and wiggle it back and forth laterally while applying downward pressure. \u201cNot like a car key,\u201d says Davis. \u201cPeople think it\u2019s a car key motion, but you really have to sink the blade in there.\u201d And then, pop. Now what? \u201cDon\u2019t do a lot of crazy stuff with your hands,\u201d says Davis. \u201cWith the same motion, I just kind of rock my knife along that outer edge, severing the abductor muscle, which is what allows the oyster to open and close.\u201d Davis explains that you also don\u2019t have to go around the entire outside of the oyster: \u201cThat\u2019s the Chesapeake Bay style.\u201d Pick out any stray shell pieces or other debris, give the oyster a half-turn toward you, and then take the knife and separate the meat from the inside by running the blade along contours of the shell. \u201cYou really want as clean of a release as possible, leaving everything intact to make sure the integrity of the meat is preserved,\u201d says Davis. If it smells clean\u2014\u201clike the ocean,\u201d she says, \u201ca little seaweedy, but not fishy\u201d\u2014then slurp that sweet, sweet meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t

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