Oyster shooters
Our oyster shooters are popular with guests, featuring :
TOKYO JOE – sake, ponzu, caviar, pickled ginger
BLOODY MARIA – vodka, gazpacho, celery, pepper
DON PABLO – mezcal, lime, cucumber chilli
The concept for our oyster shooters selection begins with matching a spirit or wine with the unique regional flavours of our varied oyster choices. Whether we capitalise on the salty mineral undertones of a fresh Sydney Rock oyster, or play with the fresh creaminess of a beautiful Tasmanian pacific oyster, our shooter foundation is always a great match for our housemade shooter concoction!
Once the base ingredients for the oyster shooters are decided, Chef then matches beautiful fresh ingredients with complement the merroir / terroir combination, with the presentation finished with fresh garnishes ranging from micro-herbs to caviar!
Oyster Shooters – the method!
Our suggested shooter style dining involves chewing the fresh oyster with the garnishes to savour that taste sensation, washing it down with the shot of housemade brilliance. This is really a special sensory experience, and proves there really is nothing comparable to truly fresh oysters (unless you count truly fresh oysters adorning a shooter glass full of something quite delightful!).
The only way we recommend oysters is freshly-shucked to order, so you gain the experience of tasting the ‘merroir’ – including the remnants of natural liquor present in the shell at the time of opening. At Shucks Bar we only ever open fresh to order, and rinse the oyster gently with filtered fresh water to remove any naturally-occurring grit or infrequent grit caused by the shucking action. If guests prefer, we can avoid rinsing and the oyster can be tasted exactly as nature intended – but this is usually for the more serious foodie as there can be natural grit present.
Oysters are bivalves with no brain or central nervous system, suiting our pesctarian focus which seeks to play a humane role in the food chain, but are ‘alive’ when stored in the correct refrigeration. The lifespan in these conditions normally varies from 7-14 days, but at Shucks we use all freshly-purchased oysters that are kept unopened (known as whole shell) until ordered.
Once the oyster is opened, it is no longer alive, and the natural moisture begins to dry out, creating a completely different taste experience. When purchasing ‘fresh shucked’ oysters, it is worth asking where the oysters were shucked – ‘fresh shucked’ somewhere else and delivered to the restaurant? (this is the most common source of oysters in the industry) – or shucked within the last few minutes in the restaurant’s own kitchen?
Shucks Bar oysters are always freshly shucked, right in front of you, inhouse, in Manly, by our own hands, because there is nothing like a truly, undisputably, freshly-shucked oyster.
This section displays details about some of our most popular past and present menu items. For the accurate current food and drinks offerings at Shucks bar, please visit the menu section.
