How to Eat Oysters

A comprehensive guide to shucking, eating, and pairing oysters in the South

How to Order Southern Oysters

When chef Sunny Gerhart orders oysters, he wants variety. “I like to have two of every oyster,” says Gerhart, owner and executive chef of St. Roch Fine Oysters in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I want to try the oyster on its own, just freshly shucked, with no accoutrement. And then the second one, I’ll typically throw something on there, whether it’s mignonette or—I’m classic and old school—lots of horseradish, a little bit of hot sauce, and some cocktail sauce.”

Diners at St. Roch will see daily chalkboard menus for oysters, but they can also use a QR code to learn about exactly where they’re from, and the flavor descriptors. The chef says it’s all about understanding what people are looking for in an oyster. “Have they had oysters before? And then it’s walking people through that process, depending on where they’re at,” he says. “If you want to dive in, and you’re looking for something more specific, here are the descriptions. We can walk them through—super briny, small, large. People want different things.”

Ninety percent of St. Roch’s oysters come from North Carolina, with a small selection of West Coast oysters and one from Canada. “We deal with a lot of small growers that typically hand deliver their oysters every week, so the selection is going to vary slightly, depending on what’s available.” One of his favorite NC oysters is the Core Sounder from Jarrett Bay. “They’re nice and clean and have a really strong brine. They’re a little bit bigger and have good body, wonderful texture.”

For a smaller, cocktail-style oyster, Gerhart recommends Dukes of Topsail from N. SEA. Oyster Company. He says to keep an eye out for wild varieties now that we’re in wild oyster season. “They’re a little more rough-and-tumble oysters, typically a little bit bigger, more earthy.”

Dean Neff of Seabird and Zora’s Market and Kitchen in Wilmington, North Carolina loves talking to customers and answering their many questions about oysters. “It’s about telling the story of the seafood, of the people who are fishing, the people that are out there oystering,” says Neff. “Having those conversations, building trust with people that are coming in is super important.” Neff recently took over Zora’s, the oldest seafood market in Wilmington, with Zora’s family’s blessing. The market carries farmed and wild oysters to take home, with most of the demand for wild clusters.

“We are slowly developing demand for farmed oysters year-round,” says the chef. Neff’s advice for a first-time oyster eater: “You basically take it back, and you just imagine the salty ocean, and the rest will happen without you having to think too hard about it.”

Dean Neff’s Dream Two Dozen

Where to Buy Custom-Grown Oysters in the South

How to Eat an Oyster

If you’re eating it raw on the half shell, do as little to it as possible—a squeeze of lemon, maybe some horse- radish. Cocktail sauce will mask the taste, so go easy. Be sure to take one or two bites before swallowing, which will release the sugars and open up the flavors. For roasted oysters, try them dipped in butter or hot sauce alongside a cold beer.

How To Shuck an Oyster Like a Pro

Oyster shucking is a skill every Southerner should have in their back pocket. Charleston native Isabella Macbeth shows us how. Macbeth perfected her shucking technique over the years, winning first place in 16 competitions across the globe, and counting. Macbeth grew up going to oyster roasts in Charleston.

“It has been one of my favorite foods my whole life, from childhood even to today.” After studying international hospitality management abroad, she returned to the US and took a job at Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar in 2009 as a shucker. “I loved sharing my love of my city, hospitality, and culture with tourists and visitors who came through the raw bar.”

Macbeth worked in the Charleston hotel scene for a few years. “I came out to transition, and that just didn’t work in that type of environment,” she says. “I was looking for a safe place to become myself and have that freedom to not worry about what I looked like” but rather have the focus be on her knowledge and expertise. “Oyster shucking gave me that.”

She began competing in shucking contests and found she was a natural. Today Macbeth has a collection of more than 100 different oyster knives,
which she proudly displays along with her trophies. Cutting the muscle (where the oyster is attached to the shell) smoothly is key, she says, “because when you mangle oysters, you’re not just messing up the flavor, you’re also messing up the texture.”

Her advice for beginners? “Just don’t be afraid. Don’t be hesitant. Jump in and give it a try,” she says. “You start opening a world of flavors and possibilities once you figure out how to open an oyster.”

Try Isabella Macbeth’s “lollipop turn-key” method

1. Rest the oyster on a towel, hinge facing your shucking hand.
2. Set the knife tip into the hinge with a gentle wiggle. (The oyster will perch on the blade like a lollipop.)
3. Twist the knife, like turning a key, to release the shell.
4. Glide the blade beneath the top shell to free the muscle.
5. Gently slice the bottom muscle, lift the shell, and savor.

What To Drink with Oysters

Go-to pairings from Eduardo Porto Carreiro, sommelier and beverage guy for Rocket Farm Restaurants, Atlanta

There are many ways to approach a “perfect pairing” for oysters. Most important is that the beverage cleans the palate and sets you up for the next bite. Be adventurous. If you’re having fun, you’re doing it correctly.

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