Oyster Knowledge
Oyster Trivia
Everything a true oyster person should know.
Q. What does "The World is Your Oyster" actually mean?
It's an old English idiom meaning the world is yours for the taking — unlimited possibility, go get what you want. It comes from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor (yes, that old). The idea: crack open the shell and there might be a pearl in there — success, good fortune, whatever you're after — and it's yours. GET! We built an entire brand around this phrase, so we figured we owed you a proper explanation at least once. 🦪
Q. Why do oysters sometimes make you sick?
The usual culprits are norovirus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Oysters filter seawater to eat, which means they're very good at accumulating whatever's floating around in it. It's not really the oyster's fault — it's the ocean's. 🥺 The oyster works hard to filter the water clean, and ends up holding all the junk itself. Then we eat it, and our body starts an... evacuation process (just trying to keep us alive). Nobody's really the villain here. Just a cruel twist of fate.
Q. How do you lower the risk?
Here's my (KOKO's) honest advice! When eating raw: Always pick oysters labeled for raw eating, and eat them somewhere you trust. The underside of the shell can't really be scrubbed clean, so don't touch it — and definitely don't put your mouth on the shell and slurp. Tempting, I know (even the producers tell people this constantly). Wash your hands before and after eating. If it's your first time or it's been a while, don't overdo it — I genuinely believe there's some kind of tolerance-building thing going on. And if your stomach's already feeling off that day, skip raw and order the grilled ones instead. 😢 When cooking: Eating out or cooking at home, double-check the center is actually cooked through — 90°C for 90 seconds is considered enough to kill off bacteria. Watch for undercooking! And please, never eat a cooking-grade oyster raw. That's the one mistake you really don't want to make. 💀
Q. What's the difference between "raw-grade" and "cooking-grade"?
It comes down to whether it's been sterilized before you eat it. Raw-grade oysters are washed in sterilized seawater before shipping, so bacteria levels are low enough to eat them safely raw. Cooking-grade oysters skip that step entirely, which is exactly why they need to be cooked. That doesn't make cooking-grade the risky downgrade, though — they tend to be wilder, more intensely flavorful (minerally, maybe?). Raw-grade oysters go through that final clean-water rinse, which mellows the flavor out a bit by comparison. For the record, I'm firmly team raw. The feeling is just different (swoon).
Q. Should you really avoid oysters in months without an "R"?
May, June, July, August — no R in any of them. Every other month has one (January, for example). The R-less months tend to fall during spawning season, when oysters use up their energy reproducing (less flavor) and warmer water makes bacteria happier (less safe) — which is where this old rule comes from. But that's the story for Pacific oysters, which peak in winter. Rock oysters (岩牡蠣) peak in summer — July and August are basically their main event. Between the two, we oyster people get to eat well pretty much year-round. Lucky us. ♡
Q. How many oysters are in a kilo?
Just a rough guide! In-shell oysters for raw eating: roughly 10–15 per kilo (varies a lot by variety and size). Shucked, the count goes up. Half a kilo gets you about half that; 100g is roughly 1–2 oysters. When buying at a shop, checking the size label (S/M/L, 2L, etc.) alongside the weight saves you from any surprises. 🦪
Q. If an oyster does get you, how long until symptoms show up?
It varies a lot depending on the bug. Norovirus usually takes 24–48 hours after eating; Vibrio tends to move faster, often within a few hours to 24 hours. A lot of people fixate on the 3-hour mark or the 6-hour mark, but realistically it can hit within a couple of hours, or take over a full day to show up. The safest mindset is just: don't let your guard down for a while after eating. If you get a high fever, or vomiting and diarrhea that won't let up, see a doctor sooner rather than later.
Q. How many oysters a day is too many?
There's no hard limit, but it's fair to assume the risk scales up roughly with how much you eat — especially raw. Personally, I treat 5–6 raw oysters as my rough benchmark (beyond that, I check in with my stomach). Fully cooked oysters feel a bit safer to enjoy in larger quantities. If it's your first time, or it's been a while, start small.
Q. Oyster BBQ: how do you prep and grill them?
Prep: if they're still in the shell, give them a light brush-scrub. Most are already de-sanded, so that's usually enough (a quick soak in salt water if you want to be extra sure). Grilling: flat-side up on the grill. They're ready once the juices are bubbling and the shells have cracked open slightly. If you want to be thorough, keep watching for 5–7 minutes. Make sure the center is fully cooked — 90°C for 90 seconds is considered enough to kill off bacteria. Undercooked is a hard no, your stomach will not forgive you. And use gloves or tongs: shells get hot.