How to Cook Oysters

In the early 19th century, oysters were consumed mostly by the working class. When the demand for consumption increased, the oyster fields began to dry up and the price of oysters continued to increase. Today, oysters are considered a premium food. Most oysters are edible, many can be eaten raw or “eaten right out of the shell”. In general, small oysters taste best when eaten raw, while large oysters such as Pacific oysters are often used cooked. Oysters can be steamed, baked, charcoal grilled or fried. Here are some of the most common oyster processing methods.

Table of Contents

Steamed oysters

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Prepare oysters for steaming. Rinse the oysters with cold water and scrub the outside of the shell with a brush to remove any dirt. Discard open or cracked shells as this is a sign of dead or poor quality oysters. ^{[1] X Trusted Source US Food and Drug Administration Go to source}

Do not wash oysters before steaming too soon. Washing oysters before steaming for too long can kill them. Chemicals like chlorine and toxins like lead can cause oysters to not taste as fresh as they used to.

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Prepare the oyster sauce. Fill the pot with water 5 cm deep. Add half a glass of beer or a glass of wine to the pot for extra flavor. Place the steamer tray or metal basket in the pot to hold the oysters. Place the oysters on a tray or basket, then bring the water to a boil and cover the pot.

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Steam the oysters for about 5 minutes. Turn on medium heat and steam the oysters for about 5-10 minutes depending on your preference. Steam for 5 minutes for medium-cooked oysters and 10 minutes for fully cooked oysters. After 5-10 minutes, the oysters should be fully open. Discard those that do not open their shells.

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You can steam oysters on a baking dish placed in the oven. Arrange oysters evenly on a baking dish with a little water. Turn on medium heat, cover the oven and steam the oysters for 5-10 minutes.

Open oyster shell means the oyster is cooked. Discard oysters that do not open their shells after steaming.

Grilled oysters

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Prepare oysters for grilling. Rinse the oysters with cold water and scrub the outside of the shell with a brush to remove any dirt. Discard open or cracked shell oysters. Leave the oysters under running water for a bit, then turn off the faucet and let the oysters dry.

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Prepare the oven. Use a charcoal or gas grill. Light a brazier or turn on a gas grill for medium heat. Arrange oysters neatly on the grill.

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Decide whether to roast a whole oyster or an oyster with one side of the shell removed. Although these two ways of grilling are not much different, it will depend on whether you want to season the oysters before grilling or just before serving. If you want to marinate the oysters first, separating one side of the shell is best. If you prefer to add seasoning later or no seasoning, you should grill the oysters whole.

So how to peel oysters? Use a towel or protective gloves and hold the top of the oyster. Slide a sharp knife into the joint (rear) between the two sides of the shell. Turn your wrist to turn the knife like you would turn a car key. ^{[2] X Research Source} Slide the blade over the top case, rotate to separate the sheath. Remove the top shell and use a knife to separate the oyster meat from the bottom shell.

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Prepare the marinade on one side of the shell (optional). Oysters raw or cooked with the water secreted by oysters are both delicious, but sometimes a little extra marinade makes the dish even better. You can use marinade ingredients according to your taste or use the ingredients suggested below:

Butter and garlic
Butter and soy sauce
Avocado, pilgrimage, fresh parsley, Pecorino cheese, Cayenne pepper, Paprika
BBQ Sauce

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Grilled oysters. Cover the oven and bake the oysters for about 5-6 minutes. Open the cover to check. How to test oysters depends on how you grill them:

Whole oysters should be checked for open shells. At first, you will see the oyster shell begin to open slightly. Check to see if the oyster juice inside the small opening is bubbling. Discard unopened oysters after 5-10 minutes.
One-sided shelled oysters should be inspected before and during shelling to make sure the oysters are edible. Throw out oysters that have opened their shells before splitting or that are too easy to separate. Oyster meat with one side of the shell will be slightly firm when processing, while the oyster juice will bubble and help the oysters cook after 5-10 minutes.

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Remove the shells from the oven carefully to retain the oyster juice. Enjoy oysters with melted butter, lemon, or on their own.

Fried oysters

Traditional grilled oysters

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Wash the oysters. Wear gloves so that the rough outside of the shell doesn’t cut your hands as you clean the dirt off the shell. Wash oysters in a place where the water will not damage the yard and/or equipment.

Note that you should only wash oysters right before grilling. Washing oysters too soon can cause the oysters to die and become inedible.
Oysters after harvesting are usually washed by the seller, but you should still wash them once because safety comes first.

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Ignite a flame that matches the size of the sheet metal. To grill oysters the traditional way, you need a large enough flame and a large metal plate. If you don’t have a metal plate, you can use a metal mesh screen, as long as the mesh is small enough that the oysters won’t fall.

Place 4 cinder blocks around the fire and arrange them perpendicular to each other to easily support the metal plate when placed on the fire.
When the fire starts to fade, place the metal plate on top of the concrete block and wait for it to heat up. Note that remember to wash the metal plate before use. Sprinkle a few drops of water on the metal plate, if there is a hissing sound and the water is evaporating, it is hot enough.

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Arrange the oysters in a single layer on the metal plate. Remember to prepare enough oysters for everyone, about 6-10 per person. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Cover the oysters with a wet burlap bag or wet towel and wait for the oysters to cook thoroughly. Although wet burlap is more appropriate and effective, using a towel is fine.

Bake the batch of oysters for about 8-10 minutes. If you like your oysters to be undercooked, bake for 8 minutes. If you like well cooked oysters, cook for a few more minutes.
Discard oysters that do not open or open their shells after 10 minutes.

Warning

Oysters, especially those harvested in warm waters like the Gulf of Mexico, can contain the bacteria Vibrio vulnificus. This bacterium can cause illness and is life-threatening, especially in people with weakened immune systems. To reduce your risk of infection, eat well-processed oysters. Fry or boil oysters for at least 3 minutes and bake for at least 10 minutes. If you want to eat it raw, you should not eat oysters harvested during the summer because the water this season often carries a lot of bacteria. It is best to eat oysters only in the spring.
Be careful when cooking oysters with hot oil. Use a long spoon or tongs and stand away from the oil pan when adding the oysters to the pan to avoid splashing the oil. Cover the pan if oil splashes and reduce heat to low to avoid burns.

Things you need

Oysters
Water
Beer
Big pot
Metal steaming basket or tray
Butter
Deep-fried pan
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Egg

Steps