Should You Wash Oysters? It Depends—Seafood Chefs Reveal When You Must

This guide will come in handy whether you enjoy slurping them from the shell or prefer folding them into cozy stuffings and stews.

Perhaps you prefer enjoying oysters raw and straight from the shell. Or maybe you’re more fond of fixing oyster stuffing or stew, just like grandma made. Regardless of how you enjoy this popular type of shellfish, if you do so at home, you might be wondering, “should you wash oysters?”

The answer is a resounding “yes!” in one case, and an “if you like” in another. It all depends on the type of oysters you’re starting with. 

To help you know when and how to wash oysters, we dove into this topic with chefs and seafood experts. Read on for your complete guide to washing oysters.

Meet Our Expert

• Sarah Brekke, M.S., Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen brand manager
• Nathan Davis, executive chef and sommelier at Polished Chef in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
• John Ondo, executive chef at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in Charleston, South Carolina

Do You Need to Wash Oysters?

Should you wash oysters before eating them? It depends. You should wash all shell oysters before shucking. As for oysters pre-shucked and sold in a tub or tin, it’s optional—and all about whether you want to harness or tame the flavor of the oyster liquor (aka the mix of seawater briny natural juices that surround the oyster in its shell). 

Shell Oysters

When we asked our panel of chefs, “should you wash oysters?” The answer was unanimous, and is summarized nicely by John Ondo, executive chef at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in Charleston, South Carolina: “When preparing oysters in the shell, definitely wash them first.”

Whether you source them from the East or West coast or if the shell is smooth or rough, all shell oysters should be cleaned before shucking to remove any grit, dirt, debris, or shell pieces from the outside. If you don’t wash oysters before shucking, it’s easy for any or all of these to contaminate the oyster and brine inside the shell.

Beyond the grime, washing shell oysters can promote food safety, adds Nathan Davis, executive chef and sommelier at Polished Chef in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

“Bacteria can form on the oysters. We usually do not get sick from the oysters themselves, but from the bacteria transfer from the dirt and knife when popping them open,” Davis explains.

As with any raw foods, even fresh fruits and vegetables, there is always an inherent food safety risk in eating raw oysters; even washed ones. The CDC confirms that eating raw oysters any month of the year may lead to a serious foodborne illness caused by Vibrio vulnificus or other germs.

Tips

Test Kitchen Tip: If you’d like to drastically reduce your risk for foodborne illness but want to enjoy shell oysters, try roasting, steaming, or grilling them for 4 to 10 minutes.

Shucked Oysters in a Tub or Tin

You can also buy oysters in a plastic tub or one of those trendy tins (aka cans). All of these “must be washed before shucking by the company that packages them, so the work has been done for you. There is no need to wash away that delicious oyster liquor they’re packed in,” Ondo says.

These types of oysters are required to be processed under sanitary conditions, so washing is not necessary but it might be preferred, Davis and Brekke agree. Tinned oysters in particular are packed in a small amount of liquor, so feel free to eat them straight from the package; no rinsing required. (Try one on a saltine cracker with a dash of hot sauce!)

Oysters in tubs might appear murky or have a little residue, so “a gentle rinse can be helpful,” Davis says—as long as you’re okay with sacrificing some of the flavor you could score from the liquor. 

Tips

Test Kitchen Tip: Save the liquor oysters are packed in, then use it to flavor soups and stews, to deglaze your pan, or to add to pan sauces.

In fact, some individuals find the liquor’s flavor to be a bit too intense, so washing tubbed oysters could actually lead to a more pleasurable experience, Brekke admits. This boils down to personal preference.

Related: I Asked 5 Seafood Experts if We Should Wash Shrimp—They All Said the Same Thing

When and How to Wash Oysters

Even though oysters come from the ocean, they can quickly become waterlogged, which can cause the quality to rapidly deteriorate, Brekke says. For this reason, Javier and Brekke confirm that it’s best to soak and wash oysters just before shucking—and not when you bring them home.

Plus, “washing them earlier can remove the protective layer of moisture, which helps preserve their freshness,” Davis says.

To wash oysters in the shell:

• Fill a large bowl or bucket with salty ice water, then add the shell oysters. Allow them to soak for 1 hour to help remove any particles or sand from inside the oysters and on the shells.
• Under cool running water, use a stiff brush to scrub each oyster shell to remove dirt, sand, and/or debris.
• Rinse each shell thoroughly under cool running water to make sure there’s no grit left on the shell.
• Pat the shells dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.

As you shuck your oysters, “place a clean kitchen towel near you, and make sure to clean the knife between every oyster,” Davis suggests.

Once shucked, use your clean hands to pick away any bits of shell or debris inside, then enjoy as desired.

If you opt to rinse pre-shucked oysters in a tub or tin:

• Drain the oysters, and if desired, strain and save the liquor for another use. (Transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.)
• Transfer the shucked oysters to a colander, then rinse under cool running water.
• Gently shake the colander to drain off as much of the excess water as possible, then proceed with your recipe.

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