How to cook oysters

When picking oysters, look for those with tightly closed shells and avoid those with even the smallest opening. Fishmongers should hold a health certificate that lists the place of harvest and date of production, so if you’re worried about provenance, just ask. Oysters also vary in flavour and texture depending on the water in which they’re grown, so shop around if you want a particular taste profile.

Store oysters in the bottom of the fridge, rounded side down so they don’t leak any juice.

How to prepare an oyster

Closed oysters need to be ‘shucked’, which is something all fishmongers can do for you, but if you fancy taking it on yourself, it’s best to use a specialist oyster knife, which is short and blunt with a finger guard.Watch our video guide to shucking oysters, or follow our three-step process, written by Billingsgate Training School tutor CJ Jackson.

1. Hold the oyster very firmly in a thick cloth to protect your hands, then insert the knife into the hinge, or pointed end, of the oyster.

2. Twist the tip of the knife into the hinge to get a very firm foothold. Once you feel the knife is securely in place, release the pressure from the knife and gently lever or twist the knife to break the muscle of the oyster – you can usually hear the ‘shucking’ noise as the two half shells part.

3. Loosen the opened oyster from the shell to make it easy to eat.

How to serve oysters

The customary approach to eating oysters is to serve them raw. Typically, raw oysters are served on the half shell with plenty of lemon for squeezing, Tabasco sauce and shallot vinaigrette (mignonette). The briney, sodium-rich flavour of oysters means they partner well with tangy Asian-style dressings, such as this spicy sauce by John Torode's oysters with Oriental dressing.

If you don’t quite fancy raw oysters, shuck them completely and serve them poached in a mild pasta sauce – use the same principle as that employed by Gordon Ramsay in this spaghetti with seafood velouté.

If you’re serving oysters to a skeptic, opting for a fully cooked approach does remove some of the fear factor, but it’s also a nice option for those used to shoveling them down straight from the shell. Shellfish expert, Richard Corrigan, recommends choosing larger, meatier oysters for cooking. He says cream and butter are the perfect match for oysters’ “inherent salinity” and recommends baked oysters Rockefeller – oysters topped with a herby butter-based sauce and breadcrumbs before being grilled.

A note on the health benefits of oysters

Oysters are winners on the health front – low in fat and high in protein, they’re also packed with as much iron as red meat, making them a good alternative if you don’t eat meat. As for the aphrodisiac element, this comes from the fact oysters have high zinc levels – thought to be beneficial to male fertility.