His history
Every year at the time of the holidays, it’s the same gymnastics: the oysters rest by the dozen at the bottom of the sink and all the honors go to the one who, to open them, will be able to best elbow and wrist. The most important thing is to get there without a hitch. To avoid cuts and other injuries, protect your hand with a damp cloth or even a chainmail protective glove. And to get into the hard shell, we use different types of utensils specially dedicated to the task.
Forget the famous “hilted knife”, which obstructs the view and proves to be more dangerous than manageable, and prefer the tools of scalers. The “lancet” is the most traditional oyster knife; it consists of a short, pointed blade and a sturdy wooden handle fitted with rivets. The “Lyonnais”, historically used by the fishmongers of the Lyon markets, is similar to the first, with one difference: its blade, thinner and slightly tapered, offers more precision and versatility. The shellfish knife, with a wide sharp blade, will be more practical for opening flat oysters, such as those grown on the Ria du Bélon, in Finistère.
Its use
Vanhamme House (Paris 16e), the fish shop of Arnaud Vanhamme, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, honors up to 400 orders for seafood platters during the last week of the year. On the stalls, Gillardeau, Amélie, Perle Blanche oysters and Pascal Breuil’s fines de claires strut their stuff in their baskets before being picked by expert hands. In this case, those of Sonia Bichet, winner of the Scales World Cup, in 2020.
« The first thing to do is to relax completelyexplains the young craftswoman. Then, it is the strongest hand that grabs the knife; by placing his thumb on the blade, 1 centimeter from the end, to limit the damage in the event of a skid. You hold the oyster firmly in the palm of your other hand, hollow side towards the ground, then you look for the joint: you need to count three fingers, starting from the base of the shell. We stick the point of the knife there and we make a back and forth movement with both hands, like the flapping of wings. Once the oyster begins to yawn, the wrist presses down on the knife for leverage. With a sharp blow, cut the muscle and scrape the upper wall in order to leave the two veils of the oyster on top of each other. We throw the first water to get rid of any splinters of shell and after… we taste and we enjoy! »
“Lancet” type oyster knife, in stainless steel and wood, €7.50.