Duke Landry can shuck 24 oysters in less than three minutes, a feat that landed him in the oyster shucking world championship in Ireland recently.
As 225 Dine reports, Landry qualified for the world competition after winning the National Oyster Shucking Competition in Maryland last October. His oyster shucking career began when he worked at Don’s Seafood, a long-time family restaurant in Baton Rouge.
“We did the dirty work at the restaurant,” Landry says of himself and his younger brother, Mike Landry. “We had to peel shrimp, clean fish, shuck oysters. It was part of the job.”
Landry says he and his brother would compete for fun at the restaurant. In 1987, the two competed at the Louisiana Seafood Promotion Board‘s competition in New Orleans. From there, he qualified for his first national championship. Landry now holds three national champion titles, from 1987, 1988 and 1989.
“Then I had to quit,” Landry says with a laugh. “There was a rule back then that said you couldn’t win more than three national titles.”
That rule later changed, and Landry went back for a fourth win last year.
He traveled to Galway, Ireland, for the world championship Sept. 26. At the competition, shuckers are judged on how quickly and cleanly they can present 30 oysters on the half shell.
Landry placed 13th in the world with a time of 3 minutes and 45 seconds. He says it wasn’t his best performance, but the competition is more about the experience.
“It’s a really neat thing to be a part of,” he says. “It’s been a blessing to travel and compete, meet new people and promote Louisiana during it all.”
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