MARITIME 



MORSELS 



Shuckin 

 Clams 



By Ann Green • Photographs by Scott D. Taylor 



D, 



'uring 



the winter months, 

 oysters taste their 

 finest. However, it 

 requires a little work 

 to shuck them. 



At the annual 

 Seafood Quality and 

 Safety Workshop for 

 environmental health 

 specialists at Pine 

 Knoll Shores, 

 Wayne Mobley 

 demonstrated how to 

 shuck oysters and 

 clams like a pro. The 

 workshop was co- 

 sponsored by Sea 

 Grant, the UNC-CH 

 School of Public 

 Health, the N.C. State 

 Seafood Lab and the 

 N.C. Shellfish 

 Sanitation Section. 



Mobley, a state environmental health 

 specialist, says the most difficult oysters to 

 shuck are the intertidal oysters, also called 

 "clusters" or "coon oysters" by natives. These 

 long, narrow oysters have a brittle shell and 

 sharp lip. 



Oysters come in two sizes — "select" 

 or large, and standard. Before shucking any 

 oysters, scrub them thoroughly with a stiff 

 brush under cold, running water. Then get a 

 sharp knife. Mobley says it is important to 

 hold the knife properly — with your thumb 

 close to the tip of the knife. 



'This will prevent the knife from 

 sticking in your hand if the shell breaks," 

 says Mobley. "Place the tip of the knife in the 



It requires a little work to shuck oysters. 



hinge or along the lip and twist the knife to 

 open the shell. Once you have entered the 

 shell, continue twisting the knife and cut the 

 abductor muscle on both shells." 



Raw clams also can be difficult to open. 

 "Just below the hinge is a 'soft, dark' spot 

 that is easy to identify," says Mobley. "Stick 

 the tip of the shucking knife in this location. 

 With a lot of down force, start twisting the 

 knife until the shell separates. Then cut the 

 abductor muscle loose from both shells." 



Both clams and oysters can be heated in 

 the microwave for just a few seconds, 

 shocking the animal and thus causing the 

 abductor muscle to release the tension on the 

 shell, according to Mobley. 



"Clams also 

 can be frozen and 

 then thawed to 

 facilitate the 

 shucking process," 

 he adds. "This 

 works very well for 

 making clam 

 chowder or baked 

 clams." 



Joyce Taylor, 

 a retired North 

 Carolina Sea Grant 

 consumer seafood 

 specialist, shares 

 these tasty ways to 

 prepare freshly 

 shucked oysters 

 and clams. Taylor 

 is compiling a book 

 of her Sea Grant 

 education materials 

 and recipes. 



Broiled Oysters with Fine Herbs 



• 3 dozen select oysters 



• 1/4 pound margarine or butter, softened 



• 3/4 cup green onions, including tops, 

 finely chopped 



• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley 



• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh tarragon 



• 1/4 cup fresh cracker crumbs 



• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 



• rock salt 



Scrub oysters thoroughly with a stiff brush 

 under cold running water. Shuck oysters. Place 

 deep half of shells in a bed of rock salt in a 

 baking pan. Mix together margarine, onions, 

 parsley, tarragon, crumbs and lemon juice. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 21 



