Shucking oysters is a life skill. Here's how to shuck like a pro

"Ari Kolender knows oysters. His two seafood restaurants - Found Oyster in East Hollywood and Queen's Raw Bar & Grill in Eagle Rock - serve tens of thousands of oysters a week. Between them they've sold well over a million oysters, splayed in platters over ice, tucked into towers of seafood, served raw, grilled or fried (even occasionally buffalo-fried). So if you want to learn how to shuck oysters properly, who better to ask than Kolender?"

"The quality of the shuck is important, Kolender says. He's standing in the L.A. Times' test kitchen, equipped with an oyster knife and thick kitchen towel, about to open a couple of dozen Hayes (West Coast) and Norumbega (East Coast) oysters. 'Everyone thinks they should dig in with as much force as possible,' he says. 'It's not about pressure, it's about leverage. You're trying to separate these two shells that open naturally.'"

Freshness and shell integrity determine oyster quality; always ask when oysters were harvested and discard ones that remain open. Closed oysters retain liquor; rinse oysters if liquor has spilled onto others. Position the cup side down and locate the hinged "V" to pry the hinge open. Use an oyster knife with a thick towel or glove for protection and employ leverage rather than brute force to separate the shells. After opening, free the oyster meat from the top and bottom shells by cutting the adductor muscle. Proper technique preserves the oyster's liquor and reduces risk of injury.

Read at Boston Herald