Oysters Processing
Oysters are harvested with rakes, tongs, dredges, or with water jet vacuum dredges. Oysters and other bivalves, except scallops, are able to live out of water at suitable temperatures for some times. Since they can obtain oxygen from that which is dissolved in the water retained within the shell in contact with the gills. Aboard boats, oysters and clams must be held under sanitary conditions away from the bilges. The boat used to harvest bivalves should be outfitted with a chemical toilet so that growing areas will not be polluted with the human discharges.
At the processing plant, oysters to be marketed in the shell are washed in seawater which may be chlorinated, packed in sacks or barrel, cooled and shipped to restaurants. They should be held at temperatures between 32 degree F and 40 degree F. Most oysters are shucked by hand with the aid of a knife. The meats are washed or agitated in fresh potable water by air blown into the wash tank, graded for size, and packed in glass or metal containers. The filled containers are cooled and shipped to market in crushed ice.
Oysters are eaten raw from the half shell or in stews (lightly heated in milk with some butter) or breaded and deep-fat fried.
Oysters Processing
