How to Shuck Oysters

Preliminaries: make sure all oysters are alive. Rinse under cold water before shucking.

1. Hold a towel under the oyster and place in your had with the hinge toward the opposite hand, with the hinge facing you.
2. Insert the oyster knife close to the hinge between shells and twist to break the shell hinge.
3. Being careful not to cut in the oyster meat, slide knife around the shell and cut the abductor muscle, which joins the shell and oyster together.
4. Life off the top shell. Cut the lower end of the oyster muscle from the bottom shell and carefully loosen from the shell.