How To Open An Oyster - Great British Chefs

• Recipes
• Chefs
• How To Cook
• Features
• Competitions

• Search by ingredient, dish or cuisine

  Popular

  Search history

  Mince pies

  Christmas

  Salmon

  Venison

  Sea bass

  Christmas pudding

  Michelin

  Vegetarian

  Dessert

  Cod

Recipes

• Everyday and easy
• Main ingredients
• Vegetarian main ingredients
• Carbohydrates
• Fish and Seafood
• Meal Type
• Diets
• Courses
• Cuisine
• Michelin and Advanced

Everyday and easy

• Midweek meal
• Quick
• Quick pasta
• Easy cake
• See all easy recipes

Main ingredients

• Chicken
• Beef
• Lamb
• Pork
• Salmon

Vegetarian main ingredients

• Cheese
• Egg
• Mushroom
• Tofu
• Vegetarian

Carbohydrates

• Pasta
• Potato
• Rice
• Noodle
• Bread

Fish and Seafood

• Prawn
• Cod
• Sea bass
• Mackerel
• See more fish and seafood recipes

Meal Type

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Main course
• Snack
• Cake

Diets

• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• Pescatarian
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free

Courses

• Canapés
• Starters
• Mains
• Desserts
• Petits fours

Cuisine

• Mexican
• Italian
• Indian
• Thai
• Chinese

Michelin and Advanced

• Michelin star
• Michelin star starter
• Michelin star dessert
• Challenging
• Dinner party

How to Cook

• Meat and poultry
• Fish and seafood
• Vegetables
• Knife skills
• Cakes and baking
• Sous vide
• Pickling
• Chef tricks

Meat and poultry

• Chicken
• Beef
• Lamb
• Pork
• Duck
• See all meat and poultry guides

Fish and seafood

• Monkfish
• Haddock
• Sea bass
• Mackerel
• Red mullet
• See all fish and seafood guides

Vegetables

• Beetroot
• Butternut squash
• Red cabbage
• Sweet potato
• Tomato
• See all vegetables guides

Knife skills

• Butchery
• Fish preparation
• Vegetable preparation
• Chiffonade
• Sharpen a knife
• See all knife skills guides

Cakes and baking

• Line a tart tin
• Blind bake
• Make macarons
• Bake cakes
• Make sweet pastry
• Make biscuits

Sous vide

• Sous vide meat
• Sous vide fish
• Sous vide vegetables
• Sous vide fruit
• Tips and tricks
• See all sous vide guides

Pickling

• Pickled asparagus
• Pickled mackerel
• Pickled gooseberries
• Pickled cucumber
• Pickled red cabbage
• See all pickling guides

Chef tricks

• Brining
• Fish stock
• Rib-eye steak
• Chorizo crisps
• Pomme purée
• Crispy chicken skin

VISIT OUR SHOPSign in|Subscribe|VISIT OUR SHOPSign in|Subscribe

• Recipes
  • • • Everyday and easy
      • Midweek meal
      • Quick
      • Quick pasta
      • Easy cake
      • See all easy recipes
    • • Main ingredients
      • Chicken
      • Beef
      • Lamb
      • Pork
      • Salmon
    • • Vegetarian main ingredients
      • Cheese
      • Egg
      • Mushroom
      • Tofu
      • Vegetarian
    • • Carbohydrates
      • Pasta
      • Potato
      • Rice
      • Noodle
      • Bread
    • • Fish and Seafood
      • Prawn
      • Cod
      • Sea bass
      • Mackerel
      • See more fish and seafood recipes
    • • Meal Type
      • Breakfast
      • Lunch
      • Main course
      • Snack
      • Cake
    • • Diets
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Pescatarian
      • Gluten-free
      • Dairy-free
    • • Courses
      • Canapés
      • Starters
      • Mains
      • Desserts
      • Petits fours
    • • Cuisine
      • Mexican
      • Italian
      • Indian
      • Thai
      • Chinese
    • • Michelin and Advanced
      • Michelin star
      • Michelin star starter
      • Michelin star dessert
      • Challenging
      • Dinner party

  • After something else? Take a look at what's new and get inspired.

    LATEST RECIPES
• Chefs
• How To Cook
• Features
• Competitions

Search by ingredient, dish or cuisine

Popular

Search history

Mince pies

Christmas

Salmon

Venison

Sea bass

Christmas pudding

Michelin

Vegetarian

Dessert

Cod

Opening an oyster, also known as shucking, should ideally be done just before consuming to preserve the freshness of the oyster. When practicing this technique, cover your hand with a towel and hold the oyster down firmly. Only use shucking knives to open oysters – they have a dull point and a thick blade, which won't snap as you ply the hinge open.

1Protecting your hand with a thick cloth, insert the knife into the 'hinge' of the shell2Twist the knife to open the shell and cut under the oyster to release itOysters with laverbread and StiltonOysters with laverbread and Stiltonby Bryan WebbOysters with beef and horseradish jellyOysters with beef and horseradish jellyby Bruno Loubet

Serving suggestions

Fresh oysters are typically served raw, chilled and on crushed ice to highlight the flavour. Enjoy native oysters from September to April when in season and have a go at Shaun Rankin's Poached sea bass, confit lemon butter, asparagus and Royal Bay oysters or Bryan Webb's Oysters with laverbread and stilton.

Subscribe to the

Great British Chefs Newsletter

Join an ever-growing community of food lovers now by subscribing to our newsletter and get all the latest recipes, features and much more to your inbox

SUBSCRIBE Terms and conditions

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.

You may also like

Prawn cocktail baby gem cupsPrawn cocktail baby gem cupsby GBC KitchenHow to cook langoustinesHow to cook langoustinesOur best-ever Christmas dinner menus: extravagantOur best-ever Christmas dinner menus: extravagantby Great British ChefsHow to cook brown shrimpHow to cook brown shrimp10 sensational seaweed recipes10 sensational seaweed recipesby Great British ChefsHow to cook cuttlefishHow to cook cuttlefishHow to barbecue prawnsHow to barbecue prawnsHow to cook with sea urchinHow to cook with sea urchinHow to cook razor clamsHow to cook razor clamsHow to cook prawnsHow to cook prawnsLoad more

NAVIGATE

• Home
• Recipes
• Chefs
• Michelin star results 2025
• Restaurant map
• Ingredients
• Recipe collections
• Features
• How to cook
• Competitions

FOLLOW

SITES

INFORMATION

• Contact
• Work with us
• Insights and consultancy
• Great British Chefs shop
• Join our Great British Chefs Cookbook Club
• FAQs
• About us
• Jobs
• Contributors
• Photography
• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions

© Great British Chefs 2025MANAGE COOKIES