Unless you are going to eat your oysters straight away, it’s better to buy them unopened.
Given the proper care, oysters will live for 5-7 days after being harvested. You can keep live oysters in the fridge or an Eski.
To ensure maximum quality, put them under a wet cloth.
Be warned – they will absorb any nearby strong flavours – for example rock melon and onion tend to taint the flavour, no matter how well packed your oysters are.
Better to eat them as soon as you can!
When buying live oysters, make sure the shells are firmly closed. Discard any that are open or appear to have lost their liquor.
Clean the shells under running water before shucking to avoid getting grit in the oyster.
Don’t wash the oyster meat – you lose the briny liquor.
