• Fill the sink or a large bowl with cold water
• Add the mussels and sort through them, discarding any with damaged shells, and those that are open and do not close when their shells are tapped gently.
• Using a small knife, scrape off any barnacles from the shells, then pull away the hairlike beards.
• Scrub the shells under cold running water until clean.

• Hold each oyster firmly, flat side up in a thick cloth to protect your hand and to stop the oyster slipping.
• Insert an oyster knife into the join between the halves of the shell in about the middle of the straight edge.
• Slide the knife from end to end along the inside of the top shell to sever the muscle, then twist the knife to separate the shells.
• Run the knife gently under the oyster to loosen it from the bottom shell, keeping the shell horizontal to retain the juice.
• Pick our any visible shards of shell but do not rinse the oyster.

Bivalves can be kept alive for a day or two in the fridge with a damp cloth. They may need some oxygen to survive, avoid keeping in ice and any sudden change in temperature affects the organism.

While cooking the bivalves; the shell should open, otherwise discard. Bivalves are tender juicy, firm texture and taste sweaty / briny. This can be cooked by boiling, steaming, grilling.