What I Learned Today

Thursday, July 10th

While Sheila Marie was here visiting, we ran across a shop called "The Lobster Man" on Granville Island near the public market. We couldn't pass a store like that! Inside, they have lobsters and crabs of every size scuttling about in tanks. They also have a wide variety of oysters. Then and there, I decided that this was the perfect moment to learn how to shuck oysters. Today, I made good on that goal!

In my trunk was a book entitled Consider the Oyster by Canadian oyster house impresario (and Guinness Book of World Records title holder for most oysters shucked in one minute -33). It was a birthday gift and was waiting for just such a moment. I read it over the last two days in preparation for my adventure. This morning, I returned to Granville Island and purchased a shucking knife and a dozen Chefs Creek oysters. The whole dozen only set me back $8 - a bargain!

The Chefs Creek oysters are British Columbia native grown. They're members of the Crassistrea Gigas species (originally from the Pacific Rim, but now grown most everywhere) so they had frilly edges and are a fast growing oyster. These came from Baynes Sound near the mouth of Chefs Creek about 75 miles away on the shores of Vancouver Island. I brought them home, put them on ice and got set to start shucking.

A map showing the provenance of many of the local oyster varieties

Prepped and ready

Turns out, shucking oysters isn't terribly hard to do. To do it speedily and artfully is probably much, much harder - but just to get at the oysters isn't all that difficult. I had my first oyster open in less than a minute and into my belly shortly after that. I'd shucked the whole dozen in less than 20 minutes. They were tasty little guys - super briny with just a little sweet finish and well worth the effort.

Lunch is served!

I can hardly wait to get another dozen and try some different varieties!

JV