Show Off Your Skills at Oyster House’s Shuck Fest
The annual competition features local producers and a shucking contest with cash prizes later this month.
Photo courtesy of Oyster House
Think you’re slick with an oyster knife? Oyster House wants to put you to the test.
On Sunday, April 29th, the Sansom Street institution will host its third annual Shuck Fest, a celebration of all things oyster that also includes the restaurant’s ninth annual shucking contest, from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m.
The fun includes oyster shucking tutorials, a free tasting with local oyster farmers from operations like Sweet Amalia, Betsy’s Cape Shore Salts and Barnegat Oyster Collective, a “shell-fie” photo booth, and a craft table for the kids (featuring oyster shells, of course).
The oyster shucking competition, which begins at 2 p.m., starts off with the professional category, with shuckers from Oyster House and other seafood spots in Philly, Jersey, and Washington D.C. competing for a $200 cash prize. After that, amateurs (that’s you) can shuck in competition for a $100 Oyster House gift card. And no matter what, the spectators win, because they get to enjoy the fruits of the shuckers’ labor.
The bar will offer pay-as-you-go drink specials on Narragansett beer, wine, and cocktails made with Philadelphia Distilling’s Bluecoat gin and Old Bay-spiked vodka. Food-wise, they’ll serve chef Brett Naylor’s classic seafood dishes, like New England clam chowder, popcorn shrimp, and sliders made with crispy-fried oysters, from a cash-only booth.
Admission is $15 per person, and kids 12 and under get in free.
