How to Store Fresh Oysters

Refrigerating Oysters

Do not shuck or wash your oysters. Oysters taste best when you shuck them immediately before eating them. In addition, keeping oysters in their shells makes them easier to store and reduces the chance that they’ll go bad. If your oysters came pre-shucked in a plastic container, store them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them. Leave the grit and dirt on the oysters. This will keep them moist and will help to insulate the meat.

Pour ice into a small bowl or other open-top container. Grab a bowl, small cooler, or similar container that you can place inside your fridge. Make sure this container has an open top or removable lid. Then, pour a layer of ice into the bottom of the container. Do not keep your oysters in a sealed or closed-top container. Doing so will suffocate them. You may need to change your ice during the refrigeration process, so do not pour any into the container if you won’t be able to check your oysters regularly.

Place your oysters on top of the ice bed deep side down. Just like seafood merchants, you’ll be storing your oysters on ice to keep them as chilled and fresh as possible. Make sure to turn each of your oysters so that the deeper side faces down, a technique that will help them better retain their juices.

Dampen a towel with cold water and place it on top of the oysters. Dip a thin, clean kitchen towel in cold water and ring out the excess liquid. Then, gently lay the towel on top of the oysters. This will keep the oysters from drying out while preventing fresh water poisoning. If you’d prefer, you can cover the oysters with damp paper towels or newspaper instead. Oysters are salt water creatures, so submerging them in fresh water will essentially poison them and lead to their death.

Place your container in a refrigerator. If possible, set your refrigerator to a temperature between 35 and 40 °F (2 and 4 °C). Make sure to store your oysters above any raw meat so the juices don’t drip down onto your shellfish. If possible, check on your oysters at least once a day while they’re in the fridge. If the towel dries out, dampen it again. If the ice in your container melts, pour it out and replace it with new ice.

Keep your oysters in the fridge for up to 2 days. For safety, remove and consume your oysters within about 2 days of initially storing them. Though some oysters may last for a week or longer, eating them that late puts you at greater risk of food poisoning and other unwanted ailments. If your oysters came with an expiration date, use that as your guide for maximum storage time. Freeze your oysters if you need to store them for more than 2 days.

Shuck the oysters when you’re ready to eat them. Once you finish storing the oysters, run them under cool water in a colander and open their shells. Then, run a knife under the flat side of the oyster and pop the shell off. Before eating, carefully separate the oyster from the rest of the shell using a knife. Before eating an oyster, inspect it to make sure it is still good. If the shell appears to be damaged, if the oyster smells foul, or if the meat is a cloudy shade of grey, brown, black, or pink, throw the oyster away.

Freezing Oysters

Keep the oysters in their shells and rinse them off. Storing your oysters inside their shells will make them less likely to go bad and, in some cases, better preserve their taste. Unlike refrigerating oysters, rinsing the shells under cold water to clean them off prevents any bacteria from living on the oysters. If you don’t have enough room in your freezer to keep full-shelled oysters, you can shuck them before storage. If you do so, save the internal liquor for later use.

Place your oysters in a freezer-safe container. To keep your oysters safe, place them inside a moisture-resistant, freezer-safe bag. If you’re storing shucked oysters, you can use a firm plastic container instead. To prevent freezer burns, leave no more than 0.5 in (1.3 cm) of head space in the container.

Pour oyster liquor into the container if you’re freezing shucked oysters. To help your shucked oysters retain their juiciness, pour the liquor you removed during the shucking process into your freezer-safe container. Keep pouring until you’ve completely submerged the oysters inside the liquid. If you don’t have enough liquor to fill the container, pour in water as well.

Seal the container. If you’re using a resealable bag, press any excess air out of it using your fingers. Then, seal your container right before you put it into the freezer. Unlike with refrigerated oysters, closing the container will help better preserve your shellfish during long-term storage. If you’re using a solid plastic container, make sure the lid you seal it with is air-tight. Make sure to write the initial storage date on your container.

Keep your oysters in the freezer for up to 3 months. When frozen properly, fresh oysters should last for between 2 and 3 months. To make sure your oysters aren’t going bad, look over them regularly and remove any that have cracked shells or cloudy meat that is a pink, black, brown, or grey color. While your oysters may remain safe to eat during this time, the taste will degrade gradually.

Thaw your oysters in the fridge before consuming. Carefully take your oyster container out of the freezer and place it in a clear, open part of your refrigerator. Depending on the exact temperature of your appliances, the thawing process could take up to 20 hours to complete. Thawing your oysters using this method gives them a slightly longer shelf life, meaning you don’t have to use them immediately after they thaw. If you’d like, you can thaw your oysters by submerging their container in cold water. However, you’ll have to consume them immediately after they thaw, otherwise they’ll go bad.