In fact, he says, he ran out of oysters with six seconds left on the clock.
“I think I could do 44, 45,” he says.
He performed the feat on the set of Zheng Da Zong Yi, a Guinness World Records Special in Beijing, China, on May 21, Guinness confirmed today.
The owner of Starfish on Adelaide St. E. and Ceili Cottage in Leslieville, shucked his first oyster when he was a 16-year-old busboy in someone else’s restaurant. It was love at first taste, and now, in addition to owning two restaurants, McMurray travels the world teaching top chefs how to shuck and prepare oysters.
Shucking can be dangerous business — McMurray has accidentally stuck himself with a knife while shucking oysters 80 times over the years, requiring a total of 14 stitches. Now he works with a stainless steel glove on his left hand.
McMurray’s success is registered with Guinness under the Most in a Minute category. His previous record was set in December 2002, on the Christine Cushing Live TV show in Toronto, when he shucked 33 oysters in one minute. The record prior to that was 29 oysters, set by a Frenchman on a television show in Spain in 2001.
Becoming a Guinness world record holder can be a ticket to travel, says McMurray — he was flown to China by the television station for the Guinness television special, as was an archer from Tennessee who can hit six targets with one draw of the bow. McMurray’s also been flown to Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai for competitions and demonstrations.
He’s received two certificates from Guinness in recognition of his accomplishments, but he’s never been printed up in a Guinness book. He is hoping his feat will make the 2011 edition.
“In the oyster world, I’m pretty high up,” says McMurray, 41, father of Spencer, 11, and Leiden, 13. “It’s a lot of fun. I only want to get in the book for one reason, so my kids can say, ‘Yeah, it’s Daddy in the book.’ ”
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