THE FRW GUIDE TO OYSTERS

How to shop, shuck, serve, and savor oysters at home

- AMELIA SCHWARTZ

WHEN I THINK ABOUT the moment I fell in love with food, I think about oysters. I was maybe 12, and slurping down a raw oyster felt like an alarming dare. I picked up the rough, jagged shell and, using a tiny fork, scooped the meat directly into my mouth. I'd never tasted anything like it-briny, sweet, and overwhelmingly fresh, like the ocean. I ate a whole dozen.

Oysters are humble yet magical. In the ocean, they promote aquatic biodiversity, and according to the Billion Oyster Project (a nonprofit devoted to restoring oyster reefs in New York Harbor), one oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day-meaning that oyster farming can be incredibly sustainable when done responsibly. And on land, oysters are just as delicious raw as they are grilled, baked, and charbroiled.

For most people, oysters feel like a food that needs to be eaten while out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, or at a celebratory happy hour, or at a beachside seafood spot while on vacation. And yes, there is a certain kind of luxury attendant on a shiny platter of icy-cold shellfish being set down in front of you. But once you understand how to source, store, and open oysters yourself, enjoying these beautiful mollusks at home becomes easy. To level up your holiday party-or any party!-bring out a tray or two of oysters. Shuck them tableside. Pair them with Champagne (or a dirty martini) while you're at it. Just make sure that, for each one you eat, you take a beat to savor the moment.

KNOW YOUR OYSTERS

American oysters vary by region and by species.