What You Need to Know To Enjoy
Pirates Cove Oysters
Q: “My oysters arrived, yay! Now what?”
A: Great! First, cut open the box and take the cooler lid off the top. There should be a little “Time Temperature Indictor” about the size of a piece of gum, adhered to the inside of the cooler. The thermometer reader should be blue. If it’s yellow or red, the temperature inside the cooler has gone above 50 degrees and the oysters have probably spoiled, so don’t eat them. Take a pic of the thermometer and email or text it to us, and we’ll ship you a new batch on us.
If the Time Strip is ok, take the oysters out of the plastic bag and put them into your fridge until you are ready to eat them. You can either leave them in the clambag or put them in a bowl, but it’s best to place a damp dish towel on top of them in the fridge to help retain the liquor inside the oysters.
Check the harvest date on the tag inside the clambag. Your oysters are good for up to 2 weeks from that date, provided they stay cold the whole time (ideally below 45, but not to exceed 50 degrees).
Q: Can I keep them on ice in a cooler?
A: You can, but it’s not ideal. Try not to let them sit in direct contact with ice until the final presentation. This can either freeze the meat inside, or cause the hinge on the oyster to “relax” and open up prematurely, another way of saying they’ll die. If there’s no room in your fridge and you have to keep them in a cooler, refreeze the Arctic Pack they came in and use that inside the cooler. If you use ice, put the ice in first, then a damp dish towel, and the oysters on top of the towel. You can also put another towel over top and top with ice if you’ve got a big cooler or it’s in the dead of summer. Try to keep the cooler in the shade or a cool dry place. If it’s the dead of winter, don’t let them sit out in freezing temps.
Q: My package never arrived.
A: We’re very sorry. Unfortunately this happens sometimes, despite everyone’s best efforts. You should receive an email when your order ships with a tracking number from UPS, and you can keep tabs on your order. Let us know if your package never arrives by emailing Jason at [email protected] and we’ll make this right.
Q: Can I place my order in advance?
Yes! When you complete your order and check out online, there is a delivery date option. If your oysters are for an event, we recommend booking a delivery date 1 or 2 days in advance.
Q: Is weekend delivery available?
A: We ship your oysters via UPS, which does offer Saturday delivery. However, we recommend selecting Friday as the latest available delivery date and let Saturday be a safety net.
Q: Do I need to be present/sign for delivery?
A: Nope. You can follow your delivery progress via the tracking number you’ll receive. We do recommend getting them out of the cooler they came in and into refrigeration as soon as possible.
Q: How do I know an oyster isn’t fresh?
A: The shell will start to open. Be sure to check each oyster before shucking, do not consume an oyster whose shell has opened.
Q: Anything else I should know?
A: Good question. Let’s talk presentation. If you plan on enjoying these raw and on the halfshell, you’ll want to keep that tasty liquor intact. So use crushed ice on top of your serving dish to help keep them level. This goes for shucking as well, so keep them level and remember to twist the knife and not the oyster while shucking.
We prefer to shuck as we go during our feasts, rather than shucking them all at once, but do whatever feels right for you. Just keep that liquor in place.
