Assorted Maine Oysters

Receiving instructions

• The oysters ship fresh with ice packs. Upon receipt, ensure the oysters are laying flat. Promptly cover them with a damp cloth and place in the refrigerator. Dampen the cloth if it dries out during storage. Live oysters need air—do not cover them with water or seal them in a plastic bag. The oysters will keep, properly refrigerated, up to 5 days.

To Open and Serve

• Discard any broken oysters or oysters that remain open after pressing on their shell. Before opening the oysters, scrub them with a stiff brush and rinse well. Then determine which way is up: the top shell will be flatter than the more bowl-shaped bottom shell. For serving on the half shell, open each oyster with its top shell facing up, and leave the oyster in its bottom shell.
• Use an oyster knife, which has a thick handle for easy gripping and turning. For protection and a better grip, use a folded cloth or an oven mitt to hold the oyster in one hand. (Right-handers should hold the shell with their left hand, and vice versa.) Position the shell so the rounded edge points out toward the space between your thumb and your fingers and the hinge end points toward you.
• Holding the oyster knife in your other hand, insert its tip into the dark, rounded spot at the oyster’s hinge and twist the knife sharply to break the hinge. Once the shell opens, slip the knife carefully up along the inside surface of the top shell, severing the adductor muscle that grips it. Take care not to cut the oyster itself or to spill its liquor. Lift the top shell away and discard.
• To serve on a platter, nestle the oysters in a bed of crushed or shaved ice. While delicious on their own, try pairing them with bright-tasting additions such as mignonette sauce, lemon wedges or green Tabasco mixed with a little vodka. We do not recommend cocktail sauce, as it will mask the oysters’ complex flavor.

• Assorted fresh oysters.