By Nancy Davis 



HUCKING AN 

 OLD IMAGE. 



Oysters are coming out of their 

 shells. 



No longer must they hide behind 

 the misconceptions that have 

 plagued them for years. 



And for consumers, the news is 

 good. 



Used to be, the tasty bivalves were 

 off-limits for folks on low-cholesterol 

 diets. 



But new research shows that oys- 

 ters aren't the harmful foods they 

 were once thought to be. 



Joyce Taylor, Sea Grant's seafood 

 education specialist, says that the 

 old estimates of cholesterol in the 

 shellfish were based on analyses that 

 detected non-cholesterol components 

 as well as cholesterol. 



Recent findings show that mol- 

 lusks, including oysters, are actually 

 low in cholesterol. And they're even 

 lower in cholesterol than some other 

 seafoods. 



A 3 Vz -ounce serving of oysters 

 contains about 45 to 55 milligrams of 

 cholesterol, Taylor says. The amount 

 of cholesterol in oysters may vary, 

 depending on season, reproductive 

 cycles and what the oysters are 

 eating. 



But be sure your cooking method 

 doesn't elevate the amount of choles- 

 terol in the dish, Taylor says. If you 

 fry oysters in saturated oils, you're 

 turning a healthy food into one you 

 should avoid. 



Taylor recommends cooking in un- 

 saturated oils. 



Or better yet, try roasting or steam- 

 ing oysters in the shell. If you're 



using shucked oysters, bake or broil 

 them or include them in a casserole. 



Oysters are available in several 

 forms. They are often sold live in the 

 shell by the dozen or by the bushel. 

 In grocery stores, you'll often find 

 oysters shucked in half-pint, pint or 

 gallon containers. 



Oysters in the shell should be 

 alive, Taylor says. The shells should 

 be tightly closed or should close 

 tightly when tapped. 



Shucked oysters should be plump 

 with a natural, creamy color and 

 clear or slightly opalescent liquid. 

 They should not contain more than 

 10 percent liquid, and should have a 

 mild odor. 



Taylor recommends you buy at 

 least six oysters in the shell per per- 

 son and one-sixth of a pint of 

 shucked oysters per person. 



If you harvest oysters for yourself, 

 be sure you take them from open 

 public waters, says Bob Benton, head 

 of the state's Shellfish Sanitation 

 Program. 



If you buy live oysters from a 

 dealer, be sure the bag or container 

 is properly tagged, Benton says. The 

 tag should contain the area and date 

 of harvest as well as the dealer's 

 name and certification number. 



Shucked oysters should also con- 

 tain the dealer's certification number 

 and an expiration date on the con- 

 tainer. Don't buy oysters with an ex- 

 pired date, Benton says. 



And some folks prefer to shuck 

 their own oysters, Taylor says. And 

 for those people, Taylor has some ad- 



vice. Be sure you're equipped with a 

 good, sturdy knife and a pair of pro- 

 tective gloves. 



And then choose from one of 

 these methods. 



1. With your knife, chip off the 

 thin lip of the oyster until there is a 

 small opening. Insert your knife and 

 cut the muscles from the top and 

 bottom shells. Then scoop the oyster 

 free from the shell, and it's ready to 

 serve on the half-shell or to use in 

 other dishes. 



2. Another method for shucking 

 oysters is to work the knife into the 

 front of the oyster opposite the hinge. 

 Then go in deep and cut the mus- 

 cles, twisting the knife and popping 

 the oyster shell open. 



3. Finally, you can insert your 

 knife at the hinge and twist to pop 

 the oyster open. Then insert the 

 knife at the front and cut the muscle 

 loose. 



If you want more information on 

 buying and handling fresh North 

 Carolina seafood, write Sea Grant. 

 The following brochures are avail- 

 able: Hooked on Fresh Fish and 

 Shellfish (UNC-SG-85-08); Bringing 

 the Catch Home (UNC-SG-86-26); 

 Dressing Fin/ish (UNC-SG-86-10); 

 Flaking Fish (UNC-SG-87-05); Crack- 

 ing into Crustaceans (UNC-SG-88-01); 

 and Breaking into Bivalves (UNC- 

 SG-88-02). Each brochure is 50 cents. 



