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Soft, but not always successful

There are many ways of opening oysters. True experts, who stand out in the cold in front of a Parisian brasserie and assemble a seafood platter for their customers, know countless little tricks and ways on how to protect both themselves and the oysters from harm. We wish to present two methods here: the first is more elegant and less brutal in fashion than the second, but more reliable. Note that it is always good to open oysters near a tap. One needs a stable knife, preferably an oyster knife with a short, sturdy and pointed blade – something that is now easily available in every supermarket. Because of the sharp edges of the shell, it is also advisable to hold the oyster with a cloth. Pessimists can use additional protection in the form of gloves made of some sort of metallic fabric. Before one opens oysters, one should wash them well under cold running water.

Oyster shells are decidedly curved on their bottom side but have a somewhat flatter lid. In the lateral method, one (who is right-handed) holds the oyster with the lid facing upwards in the left hand. Now, one searches on the right side – somewhat above the centre, between the underside and the lid – for a delicate-looking point. At this point, one pierces the tip of the knife with a combination of caution and violence into the shell 1.5 to 2 cm deep. When one has succeeded in doing this, one has almost won the battle: one now moves the blade of the knife in such a fashion that one severs the muscle of the oyster; then one turns the blade upwards to prise open the lid. During the penetration process the edge of the oyster will be slightly injured, therefore one should take care to clean the penetration spot from which one removes the tiny white crumb with a finger.

While inserting the knife into the oyster shell one can also keep the knife at the very front of the tip. This enables one to detect exactly where the shell will give way easily; and if one makes a slip with the knife one causes less injury.

More about the travel adventures of Secret Agent Hektor Maille:

• Episode 19: With the Oyster Fork Through Paris
• Startpage of «Mission Kaki» (with overview map)
• More Recipes of the Secret Agent

There are various ways in which oysters can be prepared. They taste best when they are eaten raw, without even a dash of lemon juice – particularly when they are not simply swallowed, but chewed a bit. This gives one a taste of the various maritime aromas emerging from within their depths. We are, therefore, providing no oyster recipe here, but merely a brief guide to how oysters can be opened. It includes two methods plus one test for freshness:

• Lateral method (soft, but not always successful)
• Rectal method (brutal, with guaranteed success)
• Freshness test (so that the pleasure may last)

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