Freezing and defrosting oysters
The best way to store oysters is in the fridge. This will keep them fresh so they can be consumed raw. You can read more about this in our article “Oysters – shelf life and storing in the fridge”. However, it’s best to eat them within two days, and certainly within a week. If you can’t prepare freshly bought oysters straight away or you’ve bought too much, you can also freeze them. We’ll show you what you should look out for here.
The key points
- Only ever freeze live, ideally fresh oysters.
- If oysters are frozen, they will remain fresh for up to three months.
- Defrosted oysters must be cooked or boiled. They cannot be consumed raw.
- Do not refreeze oysters once defrosted.
Freezing oysters
Oysters are frozen while alive to guarantee their freshness. There are various ways to test if an oyster is still alive. Oysters that are alive smell of seawater. They also respond to touch by withdrawing slightly. Opened oysters should close when they are gently tapped.
Freeze oysters as soon as you can after you buy them. This will keep them as fresh as possible and make them last longest in the freezer. Frozen oysters can be kept for up to three months.
The first way to freeze oysters is to place them in their shell in an airtight container and put it in the freezer.
If you don’t have much space in your freezer, you can remove the shell before you freeze the oysters. To do this, wash the oysters thoroughly and filter out any dead oysters. Then open the oysters over a sieve so you can collect their liquid. Take a knife and move it around the edge of the oyster to remove the flesh from the shell. Remove any other pieces of shell and sand. Then transfer the oyster fleshtogether with the liquid to an airtight container and place it in the freezer compartment.
Defrosting oysters
Defrosted oysters can no longer be consumed raw because the freezing process causes them to die. They must always be cooked or boiled. Defrosting them will change their taste and consistency – they’ll become soft and have a slightly less intense taste. They go particularly well in dishes like soups, sauces or casseroles.
Defrost the oysters as carefully as you can by placing them in the fridge the evening beforehand. They may be spoiled at room temperature or in the microwave.
Oysters should not be refrozen once defrosted. They would definitely spoil and the taste and consistency would also be unpalatable.
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