Oyster shuckers deftly evict the mollusks from their homes presenting the plump, delicate, slightly salty Crassostrea virginica to grateful diners worldwide. These elusive creatures appear even more so when one realizes they switch their sex during their lifetime. All oysters begin life as males and become females after a couple of years. It even appears they can detect sexual imbalances among them and switch back to become males again as needed.

Female oysters spawn millions of eggs at a time and the fertilized oyster larvae, or spat, float for many weeks until they settle on a hard surface and begin to develop a shell. Spat looks like grayish dirt. When it settles onto a shell, rock or piling to begin development it is called spatfall.

Counts are the largest and suitable for stews and entrees
Selects are smaller than counts and ideal for frying and hors d'oeuvres
Standards are the smallest and best for frying in dishes like oyster fritters