This is a tiny snack of a post.
Consider it a 4-Hour Chef amuse-bouche. Amuse-bouche literally means “mouth amuser” in French, and it’s a single-bite hors d’œuvre served at the beginning of a meal.
While in Seattle for mischief with the Delve Kitchen boys, I ended up at Taylor Shellfish Farms. There, I had the good fortune to meet David Leck, America’s #1 oyster shucker and all-around good guy. Below is a video guide to his technique…
For the uninitiated, oyster shucking consists of forcefully wiggling a knife in between a shell’s hinge, twisting the blade until the shell “pops,” opening the oyster by severing the muscle from the shell, and then separating the oyster meat from the bottom half of the shell.
The average person can shuck one oyster in 30-60 seconds, assuming they don’t mangle their thumb or the precious oyster meat. David’s record? 24 oysters in just under 2 minutes.
Here’s how he does it:
