Consider the Oyster: A Shucker's Field Guide

Unusual book

Chapter Six
THE ART OF SHUCKING

In the late nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century, oyster shuckers in American Eastern seaboard canning factories were largely women and young children (even newly freed slaves, after the end of the American Civil War) who labored long hours for low wages in poor working conditions. They were paid by the gallon — so the more they shucked, the more they earned. Today, the shucking plants of the East and West coasts are state-of-the-art operations, but the “shuck more, earn more” rule still applies. On a recent visit to the Olympia Oyster Company in Washington State, I had an opportunity to see a shucking room in action.

The shuckers work in two rows on either side of a large central hopper that deposits oysters to each shucking station. Their technique is more forceful than mine, since they’re dealing with the big beach oysters of the Pacific, but they are remarkably fast — and very efficient. I witnessed one shucker “bang” into the hinge by placing the oyster onto the knife and hitting the butt of the knife on the work table. With two sharp taps, the knife was in, the bottom muscle cut out, the shells torn apart and the meat cut off the top shell. All done with such speed that I could hardly register the individual actions!

The oyster meat goes into a stainless steel gallon container, and the shells are whisked away on a conveyor belt to an awaiting bin, outside the warehouse, to be processed later. When shuckers fill their gallon containers, they pass them to the grader, who inspects the oysters for quality before packing. For each gallon filled, a token is issued. At the end of the day, the tokens are traded in for cash at the main office. At the Olympia Oyster Company, a journeyman shucker can easily fill thirty gallons during a seven-hour shift. That translates into roughly $150 a day — or more, depending on speed.

Shuckers have also plied their trade in taverns, restaurants and fancy dining rooms with oysters on the menu, but their work was usually done in the kitchen and away from watchful eyes. Now, with the rise of celebrity chefs and with more discerning restaurant-goers who want to know where their food comes from and how it’s prepared, professional shuckers are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Today, oyster lovers look for specialty restaurants where they can watch their dinner being freshly prepared at the bar while engaging in repartee with the shucker. A busy oyster bar full of impatient customers in the best place to hone one’s skill. It’s shuck or be shucked. The best rise to the top and just keep getting better with practice.

Eventually, someone will comment on how slow or fast the shucker works — and then the gloves come off....

Let the Contest Begin
The most common type of oyster contest is shucking for speed, or Pop and Drop — removing the top shell and moving on. In 2002, I landed in the Guinness Book of World Records for shucking thirty-three oysters in one minute. (I used Aspy Bays from Nova Scotia, one of the easiest oysters to open.)

Jim Red, a shucker at the Union Oyster House in Boston, argues that speed is fine and dandy, “but you don’t work for three minutes a day, do you? Give me 500 oysters and then we’ll see just how good you are!” I’m intrigued by this one. Though it wouldn’t be as exciting as a speed contest, I’m game to try, after we find some way to make use of all those shucked oysters. Any volunteers?

Most of the contests I’ve entered follow the same basic rules: open a specified number of oysters, sever the meat from the bottom shell and present the oysters on a tray to a judge within a prescribed time. At the Guinness World Oyster Opening Championships (part of the Galway International Oyster Festival, held in September), competitors must open 30 Galway Flats. At the Canadian Oyster Shucking Championships in Tyne Valley, P.E.I., it’s 18 Malpeques. Competitors at the U.S. Nationals in St. Mary’s, Virginia, shuck 24 Chesapeake Bay oysters. And contestants at Anthony’s Oyster Games in Seattle shuck 12 each of the 5 oyster species. Now that’s a contest!

How you open your oyster during competition is up to you. Table top, in your hand, any method is fine as long as you shuck the oysters, present them on a tray, then step back from the table and tap a signal or ring a bell to indicate you’re finished. (And no touching of the tray once you’re done or you may be disqualified.) Speed kills, even when you’re dealing with oysters, and shucking too quickly has occasionally killed my chances of winning. Clean oysters, properly presented, will triumph every time.