Bought a dozen oysters yesterday at Race Street Fish Market. Something like $12. Tried to shuck them myself. And I did alright with half of them. It’d probably be a good idea for me to put them back on ice for a little bit before shucking them and eating. And rinsing them off a little more wouldn’t hurt either.
Trying to open the other half was basically like grabbing a rock off the ground and someone telling you, hey it opens somewhere, give it a shot man! Somewhere. So i threw them in the oven for a few minutes and that did the trick, but they just don’t taste half as good, so I was disappointed. But the last one I opened had this little guy in it.
From Wikipedia:
Although researchers once thought that pea crabs were not harmful to their hosts, they have since found that their activities do cause some damage to the delicate gills of bivalves; and as such, these crabs are now considered parasites.
That grossed me out so I tossed the oyster. Apparently they’re harmless, but I just wasn’t too comfortable with the thought of a giant parasite sharing the apartment with my tasty buddy.