Fried Oysters Recipes

FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• For the Tartar Sauce: Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350°F, in a deep cast iron skillet, or in a Dutch oven over medium heat to a depth of about 2-3 inches, until it reaches 350°F. If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer, sprinkle a few drops of water on the hot oil. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
• Drain the oysters in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Use a toothpick to poke a small hole in the large round part of each oyster.
• Put the buttermilk in a shallow dish. In a separate shallow dish, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, Old Bay seasoning and pepper.
• Add the oysters to the buttermilk and soak for a few minutes. Remove the oysters from the buttermilk, gently shake off excess liquid, and dredge in cornmeal mixture to coat on all sides. Shake off excess breading and transfer to a wire rack.
• Working in batches so that you don't overcrowd the pan, fry oysters until golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels, season with additional salt and pepper (if necessary) while they're still warm, and serve hot with tartar sauce or other dipping sauce.

PAN FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Mix dry ingredients.
• Dredge oysters in this and let sit on paper 5 minutes.
• Heat oil and butter until sizzling hot.
• Add oysters.
• Brown lightly 30-40 seconds on each side.
• Serve immediately with lemon juice or tartar sauce.

SKILLET-FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a skillet. Roll the oysters in the egg and crackers crumbs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute the oysters, turning once, until golden brown. Sprinkle the parsley or paprika on top and garnish with lemon.

DEEP FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine flour, salt and black pepper. Dredge oysters in flour mixture, dip in egg and roll in bread crumbs.
• Carefully slide oysters into hot oil. Cook five at a time until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towels. Serve hot.

CRISPY OVEN-FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, whisk eggs. In a third bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, parsley and garlic salt. , Coat oysters with flour mixture, then dip in eggs, and coat with crumb mixture. Place in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; drizzle with oil., Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk mayonnaise ingredients. Serve with oysters.

FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Combine all batter ingredients in a bowl and reserve.
• Heat wok over high heat for 1 minute. Pour in peanut oil, heat to 375°F. Dip each oyster into the batter until well coated. When a wisp of white smoke appears, lower oysters into oil. Deep-fry 5 at a time until light brown, about 3 minutes. Remove oysters, place in strainer, drain over a bowl.
• Deep-fry last batch to a golden brown, about 4 minutes. Place cooked oysters back in oil for 2 minutes more so they become golden brown. During frying, always control heat. You may need to lower if oysters brown too much, or raise if they cook too slowly.

BUTTER-FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then raise the heat a little and cook at a bare simmer for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then pour through a fine-meshed strainer. (Save any milky juices, solids or foam left behind to add to rice or vegetables.) The clarified butter can be kept in a covered jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.
• Remove the crusts from the French loaf. Tear the bread into chunks and pulse in a food processor or blender to make about 4 cups of crumbs. The crumbs will keep in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for several days, or for longer in the freezer, tightly wrapped.
• Season the flour generously with salt and pepper. Dip the oysters in the flour and then in the beaten eggs. Spread a layer of bread crumbs on a baking sheet. Place the oysters on the sheet and sprinkle with more crumbs. Roll the oysters in the crumbs so that they are well coated, adding more if necessary.
• Heat a wide cast-iron skillet over a medium-high flame. Add clarified butter to a depth of 1/2 inch. Toss in a bread crumb - if it browns quickly the butter is hot enough. Carefully slip in breaded oysters in a single layer, frying in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Adjust the heat to keep the oysters gently bubbling in the butter. It should take about 2 minutes to get a golden, crisp coating. Turn the oysters and brown the other side, then drain on kitchen towels. Serve hot with red-pepper mayonnaise, lemon wedges and arugula or watercress, if you like.

FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together buttermilk and 1 tablespoon Emeril's Original Essence. Add oysters and turn to coat; let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, mix together masa harina, flour, and remaining tablespoon essence; set aside.
• In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan with high sides, heat oil to 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.
• Dredge oysters in masa harina mixture, shaking off any excess. Working in batches, carefully add oysters to hot oil and cook, turning, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer oysters to a paper towel-lined plate; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Drain the oysters. Spread the cornmeal evenly on a paper towel. Add the salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Dredge the oysters one at a time, placing each dredged oyster in a colander. Shake off the excess cornmeal.
• Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet or other deep skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees. You can also check by sprinkling some of the cornmeal in the pan and seeing if it spins and dances in the oil.
• Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise, chives and lemon juice until smooth in a small bowl. Arrange the lettuce ''canoes'' on a large serving platter and top each with a dollop of chive mayonnaise. Set aside in the refrigerator.
• Test the oil by gently dropping (or lower in with a slotted spoon) an oyster into it. If it bubbles and rises to the top, add 3 or 4 more oysters. If not, remove the oyster, wait and try again. If you add too many oysters at once, you will lower the temperature of the oil, and the oysters will neither brown nor become crisp. Remove the light brown oysters with a slotted spoon or tongs to paper towels to drain.
• To serve, arrange a fried oyster on top of mayonnaise on the Romaine canoes. Serve immediately.

OVEN-FRIED OYSTERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drain oysters and pat dry. Melt margarine in a baking pan large enough to hold the oysters in one layer.
• Combine dry ingredients on a plate or waxed paper. Dip oysters into eggs then roll in dry ingredients. Arrange in margarine in the baking pan, turning to coat well. Oven-fry for 15 minutes or until cooked through.