Seafood on the festive table of compatriots, including oysters, has long turned from an overseas curiosity into familiar dishes that you want to treat family and friends with. However, among culinary newcomers, the question naturally arises: "How to open oysters?" Connoisseurs of the most delicate mollusks claim that this is a simple matter, the whole process resembles the way of opening cans. At the same time, gourmets note many nuances and rules, breaking which, you can get an unfit product or injure your hand. To successfully remove the marine delicacy from the sink, you need to know a few secrets.
During the first attempt, it may seem that the oyster shell is an impregnable fortress, but after extracting a few clams, the newcomer gains valuable experience, feeling like a guru, able to transfer knowledge to others.
Which tool might you need
To successfully open the oyster leaves, it is best to have a special knife. It differs from the usual cutlery in that its blade is not sharp, but rather short, strong and blunt. The handle of such a knife should be thick and non-slip. The hand of a home cook on this appliance is usually protected from a working blade by a guard or guard (in translation from French - security) - a limiter that blocks fingers from slipping from the handle to the knife blade.
Knowing a safe way to open an oyster at home using such a tool, you can enjoy the delicacy without hurt your fingers. If an inexperienced housewife or a novice chef has a desire to often feast on exquisite marine invertebrates, then for reliability it is worth buying a special device. Instead, you can use a regular kitchen knife, but it should be equipped with a durable, blunt blade. In order not to injure hands, they put on rough gloves (professionals use chain mail) or wrap a towel that can also gently hold the sink. To remove grains of sand, which when eating a clam can unpleasantly crunch and scratch the enamel on the teeth, you need a brush. At home, beginners can use the old device for brushing teeth with hard bristles.
How to choose an exquisite seafood delicacy
Before opening oysters, you need to make sure that they are edible. Live mollusks inside shells respond to any external stimulus: tapping or getting lemon juice. In the first case, they try to slam their "casket" tightly. This signals that the oyster is alive and safe to eat. In the second, the flaps open after a few minutes, after which you can taste the product. If the shell flaps are open, then the mollusk is most likely dead.
Fresh oysters have a sweet-salty taste and sea aroma, while the fishy or disgusting smell of rotten meat coming from the sink is a sign of a toxic product. The oyster should be weighty, because inside the valves after sea catch there is sea water. The lightness of the delicacy indicates the absence of liquid and the staleness of the mollusk.
Preparing to open the sink
Oysters are incredibly tasty. According to experienced chefs, a delicacy can be prepared in any form: boiled, baked or fried. Gourmets talk about the delicious taste of raw shellfish, which can be tasted immediately after capture. Before you open the oyster at home, you need to make sure its freshness by inspecting each shell. Copies of mollusks with broken cusps or those that do not respond to tapping from above by slamming will have to be thrown away as unfit for human consumption. Oysters with a tightly closed "house" can be prepared for the arrival of guests or a solemn meal.
To do this, they are cleaned under running cold water, carefully brushing each sink. The mollusks washed in this way can be folded into a pan or bowl, covered with a damp towel and stored in the refrigerator for up to two to three days.
How to open oysters: technique
To facilitate the process of opening oysters, connoisseurs advise keeping the delicacy in the refrigerator for about an hour. It is necessary to wrap the peeled mollusk with a towel (or put on tight, coarse gloves) - this will help to avoid cuts. In order not to spoil the product or hurt your hand, you need to pay special attention to the correct location of the knife blade.
Further it is necessary:
- Put the sink on the table with the flat lid up and press it by hand (the edges of the oyster leaves are very sharp, so you need to do this with caution).
- Insert the tip of the knife into the sink from the side of the pointed (triangular) edge of the wings (in the middle, where there is a small gap).
- Slowly turn the blade in a circular motion to open the wings and push the knife into the depths, hearing a characteristic click.
- Then you need to hold a kitchen (or special) knife along the entire length of the ajar sashes, pressing the tool to the upper flat lid, so as not to damage the mollusk's body and at the same time cut the adductor muscle, with which the oyster slams the lid of the shell at the moment of danger. This muscle closure is attached to the upper (flat) leaf.
- At the same time, it is necessary to firmly hold the lower (convex) part of the shell, in which there is precious oyster meat and delicious juice - oyster nectar - it also cannot be splashed.
- Scrape off the leftover tasty meat from the flat lid of the sink and discard the sash.
- In the lower (cup-shaped) part of the shell, it is necessary to carefully check the area around the described invertebrate for the absence of sand, pebbles or fragments of the shell, and then stick the knife between the mollusk body and the natural cuspid, cut the connective tissue under the oyster, especially at the junction of the cusps.
- The delicacy is ready to eat!
Now you know how to open oysters correctly, and it is recommended to serve them on a table on an ice dish to keep them fresh and tasty.
Camping, or what to do if there is no knife
Often there are situations when during a trip or a boat trip there is no tool at hand that could open the shell of a shellfish beloved by many. Gourmets advise how to open an oyster without a knife: be patient and drip a little lemon juice on the leaves. After about 5 minutes, the sink will open on its own and you can effortlessly taste the most delicate sea delicacy.
Security
The main factors that you should pay attention to in order to protect yourself from injuries are:
- The surface of the mollusk shell, its texture always remains slippery, no matter how thoroughly it is cleaned.
- Small oyster and sharp edges of the leaflets.
- Sharp knife movements, hustle and bustle.
- Ignoring the time-tested technique, telling how to open oysters safely, as well as refusing to use protective equipment.
To avoid cuts on the hands, you need to find the right angle after introducing the knife into the mollusk shell, slowly.
Rotate the tool in a circle with confident movements, without applying excessive force, so as not to damage the body of the mollusk.
Product expiration date
Closed live mollusks are stored in the refrigerator for no more than 7 days. Open specimens with oyster nectar in the lower leaf, even on a platter with crushed ice and under the same conditions, for no more than 48 hours.
Some experts recommend that before opening the oyster at home, put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Gourmets warn that it is easier to open such a sink, but the product will not be so tender and fragrant when consumed.