{"id":6313,"date":"2002-12-01T15:11:00","date_gmt":"2002-12-01T20:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=6313"},"modified":"2024-07-09T12:37:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T16:37:37","slug":"maritime-morsels-shucking-oysters-clams-like-a-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/maritime-morsels-shucking-oysters-clams-like-a-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"MARITIME MORSELS: Shucking Oysters, Clams Like a Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

During the winter months, oysters taste their finest. However, it requires a little work to shuck them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the annual Seafood Quality and Safety Workshop for environmental health specialists at Pine Knoll Shores, Wayne Mobley demonstrated how to shuck oysters and clams like a pro. The workshop was co-sponsored by Sea Grant, the UNC-CH School of Public Health, the N.C. State Seafood Lab and the N.C. Shellfish Sanitation Section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobley, a state environmental health specialist, says the most difficult oysters to shuck are the intertidal oysters, also called “clusters” or “coon oysters” by natives. These long, narrow oysters have a brittle shell and sharp lip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oysters come in two sizes \u2014 “select” or large, and standard. Before shucking any oysters, scrub them thoroughly with a stiff brush under cold, running water. Then get a sharp knife. Mobley says it is important to hold the knife properly \u2014 with your thumb close to the tip of the knife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It’s important to hold the knife properly when shucking oysters and clams. Credit: Scott D. Taylor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

”This will prevent the knife from sticking in your hand if the shell breaks,” says Mobley. “Place the tip of the knife in the hinge or along the lip and twist the knife to open the shell. Once you have entered the shell, continue twisting the knife and cut the abductor muscle on both shells.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Participants in a Seafood Quality and Safety Workshop learned how to shuck oysters like pros. Credit: Scott D. Taylor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Raw clams also can be difficult to open. “Just below the hinge is a ‘soft, dark’ spot that is easy to identify,” says Mobley. “Stick the tip of the shucking knife in this location. With a lot of down force, start twisting the knife until the shell separates. Then cut the abductor muscle loose from both shells.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both clams and oysters can be heated in the microwave for just a few seconds, shocking the animal and thus causing the abductor muscle to release the tension on the shell, according to Mobley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Clams also can be frozen and then thawed to facilitate the shucking process,” he adds. “This works very well for making clam chowder or baked clams.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joyce Taylor, a retired North Carolina Sea Grant consumer seafood specialist, shares these tasty ways to prepare freshly shucked oysters and clams. Taylor is compiling a book of her Sea Grant education materials and recipes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broiled Oysters with Fine Herbs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n