SHUCK THOSE OYSTERS on the beach. State regulations for recreational shellfish harvest require that shells be left at low-tide level.

State regulations require that oysters be shucked on the beach and the shells left at the low-tide line. Oyster shells have razor edges, and if you don’t want to spend a couple of hours in emergency, equip yourself with heavy gloves with nonslip surfaces and an oyster knife (a tapered blade with an egg-shaped handle).

Hold the oyster with the narrow, or hinged, edge toward you and the flat top surface upward. Insert the knife between top and bottom shell and swivel it until you’ve cut the muscle that holds the shell closed. Then slide the knife under the muscle to sever it from the lower shell to release the oyster intact.

Put your shucked oysters on ice or cook and serve them quickly.

Sure, it’s easier to put the oysters, shells and all, onto a barbecue grill and roast them until they open on their own. To do that, or serve them on the half-shell, you’ll need to purchase oysters in the shell from one of the many seafood outlets along Hood Canal and Puget Sound. Violating shellfish rules can result in big fines.

The State Department of Health advises that shellfish recreationally harvested May through October should be cooked thoroughly to avoid illness due to the presence on most beaches of the Vibrio organism. Some beaches carry that warning year-round (see sources for checking health advisories on page 42).

The state routinely checks for other organisms like PSP and domoic-acid toxins that cooking won’t quell, which is why all those hotline advisories shouldn’t be ignored.

In summertime, as temperatures rise so do bacteria levels in shellfish, say health officials. While the commercial shellfish industry is aware of this and follows state requirements for temperature and handling, recreational oyster harvesters need to be aware of this risk when planning a trip to the beach to go digging. Here are a few tips from the state health department:

• Always check the pollution and biotoxin status of the beach you want to harvest.

• Gather shellfish as soon as possible after the tide goes out (at the beginning of the tide cycle instead of at the end). 

• Do not harvest oysters that have been exposed to direct sunlight for more than one hour.

• Place shellfish under refrigeration or on ice as soon as possible.

At a loss for how to prepare your oysters? Here’s a classic formula:

Fried Oysters

Crush saltine crackers with a rolling pin or in a blender and put in a bowl with a dusting of salt, white pepper, and crushed dry basil. In another bowl, whisk one egg per 12-15 oysters until well beaten.

Rinse oysters and, if you shucked them yourself, check carefully for bits of shell. Pat dry on paper towel. Dip first in egg, then in cracker crumbs. Heat olive oil (frying grade) or a mixture of oil and organic shortening in a frying pan and brown oysters on each side, turning carefully, cooking until firm. (If you like your oysters with a bit more coating, roll in flour lightly before the egg dip.)

If you’re cooking more than one skilletful, keep fried oysters warm in the oven until ready to serve. Serve with lemon and cocktail sauce or lemon-and-pepper-spiked catsup.

If you’re cooking for a crowd and you don’t want to spend the cocktail hour in the kitchen with the frying pan, try this creation that won Tom and Victoria Benenate top honors at the OysterFest Cookoff in 1990:

Italian Oysters
30 shucked oysters (serves 4)
2 Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. scallions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh tarragon
pinch dry oregano
pinch cayenne
2/3 C. bread crumbs

In saucepan, melt butter and add oil. Warm for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Add all ingredients except oysters. Mix well.

Drain oysters and place in a baking dish or four ramekins. Spoon topping over oysters. Bake at 450° for 18 minutes.

Lots of other species here

In case you were wondering, no, clams and oysters aren’t the only shellfish you’ll find on the beaches and below the low-tide line in Hood Canal and South Puget Sound.

In addition to oysters and native and Manila littleneck clams, there are larger butter clams, cockles, horse clams (good for chowder) and that behemoth of the beaches, geoducks.

There are mussels, moon snails, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, squid and even octupus, although by now we’re wandering out of the shellfish category.

Perhaps most popular of the companion critters are shrimp and crab. Red rock crab abound in local waters, and the short shrimping season brings about a kind of frenzy with crowds on the water so thick you can almost hop from boat to boat. Each species has its own season and limits, so be sure to check out the fisheries department publications before you go a-gathering.