OYSTER, CLAM, SCALLOP, AND ABALONE FISHERIES 185 



manner if they are to be served in restaurants as ''oysters on the half 

 shell." By far the greater volume of shell stock has the meats removed 

 at "shucking" houses at the point of origin. Meats, when removed from 

 the shell, go to a device known as a ''bubbler" or washer where the 

 meats are churned about in fresh potable water by air blown in from 

 the bottom of the tank. The violent agitation and the bursting of the 

 air bubbles forces the oyster mantles apart and dislodges sand and silt 

 that may be trapped within. Oyster meats take up water quite readily 

 and increase materially in weight if kept long in the washer. This weight 

 increase is known as "floating" the meats. To prevent undue absorption 

 of water, the time the meats may be blown is usually limited by 

 regulations. 



After washing, the meats are flooded onto a table and graded for size. 

 Grade size, or number of meats per gallon, varies in different areas but 

 is indicated on the container along with the permit number of the opening 

 house. In most states producers must have a permit and be subject to 

 the state sanitary regulations of the area in which the oysters were grown 

 and prepared for market. Oysters for market should be grown only in 

 waters free from pollution. Oyster meats from the washer are graded 

 into glass or metal containers. Glass containers are usually the pint and 

 half pint sizes. Metal containers may vary from 201 X 400 retail size to 

 the 603 X 700 can for institutional use. All containers are sealed at the 

 point of origin of the fresh shucked meats to prevent floating or con- 

 tamination by intermediate handlers. Containers of fresh shucked oyster 

 meats are shipped in crushed ice to the sales outlet and must be kept 

 chilled to at least 34°F. Maximum storage life of chilled meats is about 

 16 days. Meats in metal containers for long storage are sharp frozen and 

 stored at -5°F. 



A comparatively new oyster product is the fresh oyster meats, breaded 

 and packed into five or ten pound cartons for institutional and restau- 

 rant use. For the retail trade the 10 to 14 ounce carton is used. These 

 breaded meats are frozen and individual meats may be removed as 

 desired and the package returned to the freezer. 



Another frozen oyster product recently developed is oyster stew. 

 Freshly opened oyster meats are sliced or diced and, with other ingre- 

 dients such as salt, pepper, milk, and monosodium glutamate are packed 

 into 201 X 400 containers and sharp frozen. Oysters have also found a 

 place among the array of precooked foods available on the market. 

 Oysters are breaded, deep fat-fried, cartoned, and frozen and need only 

 reheating in the oven to be ready for the table. Canned whole oysters 

 and oyster stew are also prepared from steam-opened oysters. Shell stock 

 is first washed and then passed through a steam retort for about ten 



