A well shucked oyster preserves the beauty of the shell adding to the delight of eating the oyster. There is a knack to opening an oyster, but with a little practice you can soon be opening them with ease.
Professional oyster openers use various techniques, we find opening at the hinge works best for angasi oysters.
Protect your hand by wearing a glove, or covering it with a thick cloth, and always point the shucking knife away from your hand in case it slips.
Opening the oyster at the hinge side preserves the shape of the cupped shell.
Hold the oyster firmly, with the hinge outward, place the tip of the shucking knife to the side of the hinge.
Applying a little downward force and using a sideways wriggling action push the knife in between the top (flat) and bottom (cupped) shells to begin the separation of the two shells.
When about 1cm of the knife is between the two shells you can either twist the knife towards you, or place a downward pressure on the knife handle, or both, to pop open the hinge.
The abductor muscle, attached to both shells, has to be released. Slide the knife under the top shell, keeping it as close as possible to the shell to avoid cutting the oyster meat.
Carefully slice the muscle and remove the top shell.
Turning the oyster around, slide the knife under the oyster releasing the meat from the bottom shell.
Flip the oyster over for serving. Take care that there is no shell grit on either side of the oyster. Alternatively the oyster can be served without flipping over and the mantle frill spans out.
Rinse the oyster if you wish to remove any shell grit or if you prefer a less salty flavour.
Enjoy raw or lightly cooked.