Method

• 1.
  Take an oyster and, with the cup of the shell facing down, wrap it in a clean cloth with the pointed hinge of the oyster facing out. Place the cloth on a board on a stable surface, and hold down firmly. Insert the blade of an oyster (shucking) knife a small way into the hinge, where the top and bottom shells meet. Moving the knife in a rhythmic rocking motion from side to side, push the knife into the hinge until you have some leverage.
• 2.
  With the oyster knife firmly wedged between the top and bottom shell, hold the oyster in the cloth firmly. Twist the oyster knife sharply away from you, like you’re revving a motorbike, and listen for the pop as the hinge gives way.
• 3.
  With the hinge now broken, slide the oyster knife gently along the top lid. At the two o’clock position on the top lid is the adductor muscle, which holds the top and bottom shells together.
• 4.
  Simply slide the knife through this muscle to release the top shell. Having removed the top lid, use the blade of the knife to cut the adductor muscle on the bottom shell to release the oyster. If you want, you can turn the oyster over to have its “belly” facing up.
• 5.
  For the tomato, using a sharp knife, cut the tomato around its largest circumference. Grab a pair of scissors and cut a square of muslin or clean Chux cloth that will allow some overhang around the tomato halves.
• 6.
  Pull each corner of the cloth up to the centre above the disc of tomato and pinch together. Run the pinched cloth under a tap for a moment to make it damp. By making it damp it will be a lot easier to tie off the cloth neatly. Tie cloth firmly to secure. (The cloth acts as a sieve to stop the tomato seeds from dropping over the oysters.)
• 7.
  In front of guests, squeeze ripe tomato juice over the oysters as if it were lemon juice. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve with freshly ground black pepper alongside for guests to season as they wish.