With the Christmas holidays approaching, oyster orders for Christmas will soon be taken. Above all, it is important to know some tips to choose quality products. Here are 5 good questions to ask yourself before buying and tasting oysters . Answers with Jean-Pierre Suire , President of the Oysters Quality Group of Marennes d'Oléron and Goulven Brest , President of the National Council of Shellfish Culture.

Salty or sweet?
Before buying, it is imperative to know if we prefer the oysters salty or sweet, and fleshy or fine . "There is no secret, we must test all varieties before knowing which varieties are right for us," says Jean-Pierre Suire, President of the group quality oysters Marennes d'Oléron.

At the fishmonger's shop or in supermarkets?
The question remains whether to go to the fishmonger to buy oysters or trust the supermarkets. "The added value of the fishmonger is that it can provide advice.That said, oysters sold in supermarkets are of the same quality as in a fish shop" reassures the oyster farmer.

Are they of quality?
Several actions are required at the time of purchase. " First of all, you have to look at the weight of the oysters, the consumers have to take the shell in their hand, if it is heavy, it means that there is water in it and that it will be good " comments Goulven Brest, President of the National Council of Shellfish Culture.

Second step before going to the checkout, take an oyster in each hand and clash against each other . "If the sound produced is a dull and firm noise, the chosen oysters will be of quality " warns the oyster farmer.

In parallel, it must be checked that the shells are not chipped or broken . In supermarkets, the packaging must bear an identification mark mentioning in particular the species, the origin and the date of packaging.

Should you open your own oysters?
To this question, Jean-Pierre Suire responds immediately by advocating rather to leave them closed until the moment of the tasting . "It's not that difficult to open the oysters, we can ask the fishmonger to show us, and then it will preserve the taste until the last moment."

For its part, Goulven Brest surprises by saying that we must remove the oysters from the ice nest on which they are placed . "You have to take them off the board a few minutes before the tasting because the cold annihilates the taste".

How to know if an oyster can be eaten?
Once the oysters are ready to be tasted, the President of the National Council of Shellfish culture advises to look for if there is indeed water in the shell. If this is not the case, they must be thrown away . "On the other hand, if an oyster is too transparent, it means that it has been stored too long and must be discarded too," says Goulven Brest. And to continue "those who do not put lemon on their oysters can bite the mollusk with a fork so as to check if it is alive.The acidity of the lemon makes it possible to move the oyster".