It’s the prime oyster season for many people. With holiday parties, celebrations, traditions, festive dinners, and more- we’re sending out oysters as fast as we can get them out of the water. It’s also a time of year when we tend to receive many questions about how to store oysters before your big event safely. Follow the tips below to maximize your oyster storage time and serve fresh, delicious oysters.
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Get them on ice! - Your White Stone Oysters are delivered in a disposable cooler packed with several ice packs. They should arrive cold and fresh- but it’s important to keep them cool until you’re ready to serve. We like to keep our oysters in a large, quality cooler with ice. If you don’t have a cooler available, you can also store them in your fridge on a baking sheet. In both cases, we recommend removing them from their shipping bag and spreading them out as much as possible.
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Keep ‘em wet! - This tip should come with a grain of salt. It’s case-dependent, so make sure to do what’s best for you. If you are storing your oysters in the fridge on a baking sheet, we recommend putting a damp towel over them to keep a little moisture on the oysters. However, it’s important to note that fresh water will kill an oyster. So, make sure not to drown them. And, if you’re storing them in a cooler, open the drain plugs and place the oysters on top of the ice, not in it, so they are cooled but not sitting in fresh water.
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Toss the bad ones! - We do our best to make sure every oyster you get is in good condition and edible, but because we are shipping fresh seafood, there is a chance that a few of the oysters could die. As you’re sorting your oysters out for storage, throw out any that have damaged shells or open shells. Even a slightly opened oyster has gone bad and it’s best not to have them mixed in with your other oysters.
- Don’t freeze them! - Despite when you may have heard, it’s not a good idea to store fresh oysters in the freezer. It will kill them and you’ll wind up wasting tons of delicious oysters. You can, however, freeze our pre-shucked Wandering Waders Premium Jarred Oysters, just make sure to remove them from the glass jar first and the liquid expansion in the freezer will shatter the glass.
It’s that simple! Storing fresh seafood can seem like a daunting task, but when stored properly our oysters will last for several days, up to a week or more. Just make sure to keep them in the proper conditions, and above all else, keep them cool and keep their shells intact until you’re ready to serve.
Need some oyster recipes? Check out our blog. Or, shop for fresh White Stone Oysters now.
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