How to Safely Store Fresh Oysters

Oysters keep fresh for at least one week after harvest. This is one of the best reasons to buy your oysters on this website straight from the farmer. We promote farmers on all 3 coast and assist them to ship the oysters to your doorstep.

Watch this VIDEO on how to Clean, Store & Shuck Oysters

Oysters are a crowd-pleaser, whether you’re serving them to your family for lunch or to guests at a party. But unless you plan on eating your oysters right after you buy them, you’ll need to know how to store them properly. Here are some tips for keeping raw oysters fresh.

How to Store Raw Oysters

When your oysters arrive by mail or you are picking up raw oysters locally, you can keep them fresh by placing them in a airtight bag in the fridge. 

Unpacking, Cleaning, and Storing Raw Oysters

• Unpacking: The oysters are packed in a bag with ice packs around it. The knife and towel are packed separately. Take out the oysters and keep the gear separate and dry. You don’t need it yet.
• Cleaning: Toss all the oysters in a sink with cold running water. Put on some cleaning gloves and start scrambling the oysters, so that the leftover sand and debris fall off. Do this for a couple of minutes or until you feel that they are nice and clean.
• Storing: Take a plastic bin with a paper towel or kitchen towel on the bottom and transfer the oysters into the plastic bin. The extra water will fall out of the oysters onto the towel. Now put the oysters back in the mesh bag they arrived in. Put the mesh bag with oysters in a plastic bag. Close the plastic bag airtight*. Store the plastic bag with the oysters in the refrigerator until you are ready to enjoy the oysters.
  *Oysters hibernate while in the fridge, so they don't breath. 

What’s the Difference Between Open and Closed Oysters?

Oysters should only be used when they are alive. Alive oysters are closed because the oyster keeps the bivalves closed to keep the ocean water in. The oyster keeps alive as long as there is ocean water inside. A dead oyster is open. The oyster can’t keep the bivalves closed because it’s dead.

What if I Think the Oyster Might Be Dead?

You toss it. When in doubt, throw it out!

Is There a Trick to Check Whether the Oysters Are Dead or Alive?

Yes, knocking two oysters together. If the sound is hollow, at least one of the oysters is dead. Check both oysters with another oyster to figure out if they’re alive. If the sound is like two rocks knocking together, both oysters are alive. Keep one to check the other oysters because now you know that one is alive. If there is a hollow sound, the other one must be dead. When you find dead oysters, toss them.

Storing Shucked Oysters

You shouldn’t freeze oysters while they’re in their shell or after they’ve been cooked. But you can freeze them after they’ve been shucked, which will help them last for up to three months. If you freeze cooked oysters, it will be hard to reproduce the texture they had when they were first grilled, fried, or baked. You’d be better off refrigerating cooked oysters, which will keep them fresh for up to three days.

How to Prepare Raw Oysters

Any oysters that you buy should already have clean shells, but washing them helps to get rid of any leftover debris. First, you should put them in a strainer, and then rinse them with cold water while rubbing them. Once the oysters are clean, you can shuck them with the best oyster knife and a mesh mitt or towel. Make sure you don’t spill too much of the clear, tasty ocean water inside of the oysters when you shuck them.

If you want to keep your oysters tasting their best, you’ll have to store them properly. At Oysters XO, we have online classes that will teach you how to shuck oysters, pair them with drinks, and identify the flavors of oysters from different regions. To buy a shucking knife or other equipment for preparing oysters at home, check out our online store for the tools you’ll need.