The ins and outs of oysters

Oysters.

They're a salty, briny and delicious delicacy enjoyed around the world.

But their meat is protected by a thick shell that requires a little man power to crack open.

After many hours of practice, Pearse McEvoy has the task down to a science.

McEvoy handles several hundred a day while working as the head shucker at Ropewalk in Ocean City.

During the summer, that number is close to a thousand or more.

"I always start by examining the oyster to determine the best course of action," he said. "The most important thing is not to break the shell."

Oysters will already have incision slots where a knife can slide through. After the knife is inserted, McEvoy will twist his wrist to pop the shell open. Once it's opened, he will slide the knife back over the oyster to remove the top shell and cut the bottom and top abductors.

Once the abductors are cut, the oyster dies.

"They're literally alive until they're shucked," he said. "You know if they died before they were shucked if they have a funky smell. Oysters should have an oceanic aroma but it should smell fresh."

Historically, oysters were only eaten during months whose names contain an ‘R,’ but thanks to the breakthrough technology of refrigeration, the delicacy is now easily enjoyed year-round.

"Oysters will keep for about 28 days as long as they're properly stored," Nick Crawford said. "Of course, the sooner you eat them the better."

Crawford is a manager at Henlopen City Oyster House in Rehoboth Beach. The Oyster House easily goes through several thousand oysters during a busy weekend. That number doubles during the summer.

Like McEvoy, Crawford has seen people devour oysters in a number of ways.

"Raw, fried, steamed, grilled, broiled, sauteed — the possibilities are endless," he said. "They're even used to make beer."

People can squeeze on lemon juice to counteract the oyster's salty flavor profile. Many people also add Tabasco, horseradish or cocktail sauce.

"It all depends on people's preferences," McEvoy said.

Oysters also make a healthy treat. A raw oyster has 41 calories, 1 gram of fat and just 2 grams of carbohydrates. In addition, oysters are rich in nutrients like protein, iron, zinc, B12, Vitamin C and Riboflavin.

For those trying raw oysters for the first time, Crawford says keep the juice.

The juice, known as the oyster liquor, is naturally produced inside the oyster to keep it alive out of water. Crawford often sees first-timers pouring the liquor out.

"It's essentially the oyster in its purest form," he said. "If you plan on sampling different types of oysters, you should sip the liquors first."

The five kinds of oysters are Atlantic, Pacific, Kumamoto, Olympias and Belons. Some are harder to get than others, Crawford said.

Atlantic oysters occur naturally from Canada all the way down the East Coast and across the Gulf. They have smooth shell ridges, uniform in color tear-drop shape. They're generally crisper, brinier, with a savory finish.

Pacific oysters are small and sweet and the world's most cultivated oyster. They have fluted, pointed shells that are usually rough and jagged.

Kumamotos are small, sweet, almost nutty oysters characterized by their deep, bowl-shaped shell. Like Pacifics, they have deeply fluted, sharp, pointy shells. They spawn later and in warmer water than other oysters, so they remain firm and sweet well into summer months.

Olympias make the tiny Kumamotos look like giants, often coming in about the size of a quarter. They are the only oyster native to the West Coast of the United States. Their popularity in San Francisco during the Gold Rush almost wiped them out, and they were believed to be extinct for decades.

The coveted Belon oysters were named after the river in France famous for them. They have a sharp intense metallic, almost anchovy flavor that some people do not like, and like most things that are unique and rare, they are costly.

To keep oysters on the menu for years to come, many restaurants recycle their old shells.

Ropewalk sends their old oyster shells back to the farm where they were purchased. In about two or three years, the old shells will house new oysters, ready to be devoured.

Other restaurants such as Fins Ale House & Raw Bar in Rehoboth Beach participate in ShellAware in Delaware, a program that takes old oyster shells and puts them back in the inland bays area for more to grow.

"People forget that oysters are living, breathing things," McEvoy said. "If we don't recycle them, they'll go instinct."

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