How to Keep Oysters in the Shell

You can keep oysters for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Oysters, which can live up to 20 years in captivity and can grow up to 14 in. long, offer high amounts of several nutrients. According to SELFNutritionData, six medium-sized raw wild Eastern oysters provide you with at least half of your daily copper, zinc, vitamin B12, selenium and vitamin D. These same oysters provide you with only 57 calories, of which 19 are from fat. With proper care, you can keep oysters alive at home for up to a week.

Things You'll Need

• Cookie sheet
• Towel

Instructions

1. Place your oysters on a cookie sheet or other similar item (such as a plate or platter) with their flat side up.

2. Wet a towel with cold water, then wring out the excess to leave the towel damp but not soaked. Lay this towel over the oysters.

3. Put the covered oysters in the refrigerator. You may keep them here for up to a week.

4. Tap on any oysters that are even partially opened. If they do not close immediately, they are dead and unsafe to eat. Discard these.

5. Smell each of the remaining oysters. Discard any with a bad smell, as these are dead and rotten.

Tips & Warnings

• You need to keep your oysters alive until you shuck or cook them. Keep this in mind when storing them and act accordingly. Do not suffocate them by wrapping them in airtight plastic bags, for example, or kill them by freezing them.

References

• National Geographic: Oyster
• SELF Nutrition Data: Mollusks, Oyster, Eastern, Wild, Raw
• What's Cooking America: How to Shuck Oysters
• Truestar Health: Oysters
• Oysters.us: On Opening Oysters

Resources

• The Global Gourmet: Oysters, Oysters, Oysters!