Oyster Poor Boy Recipes

FRIED OYSTER PO' BOYS

Steps:

• Mix together buttermilk, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add oysters and turn to coat; let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, mix together cornmeal, flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and a pinch of cayenne; set aside.
• In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan with high sides, heat oil to 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.
• Dredge oysters in cornmeal mixture, shaking off any excess. Working in batches, quickly and carefully add oysters to hot oil and cook, turning, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer oysters to a plate lined with paper towels; season with salt.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread butter on both sides of hot dog buns and place in the skillet on their sides, turning, until evenly browned.
• Spread tartar sauce in the bottom of each bun. Top with fried oysters, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

POOR BOY SPREAD

Steps:

• Stir Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, horseradish, lemon juice, garlic powder, and black pepper together in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 30 minutes to a full day.

OYSTER POOR BOY

Steps:

• Combine the buttermilk and 2 teaspoons of hot sauce in a small bowl. Add the oysters and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
• While the oysters are soaking, whisk the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, the remaining tablespoon of hot sauce, pickle brine, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, parsley, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and sumac together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the iceberg lettuce and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Heat the peanut oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Then lower the heat to slowly bring the oil up to 375 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, combine the cornmeal, panko, the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
• Remove each oyster from the marinade and shake off the excess moisture. Dredge in the cornmeal mixture, then move to a cooling rack set over a half-sheet pan. Allow the oysters to sit for several minutes afterwards to allow the breading to set.
• Transfer 6 oysters at a time to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. (Watch your thermometer because the introduction of cold food will likely pull the temperature down a bit.)
• Carefully transport the fried oysters to a clean cooling rack. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Bring the oil back to 370 to 375 degrees F and repeat with the remaining oysters.
• Split the rolls in half lengthwise. Tear out a bit of bread from the center of each roll, creating a trough. (If you wish, lightly toast the rolls in a 375 degrees F oven for 3 minutes.)
• Line the bottom of your roll with slaw and top with 5 to 6 oysters.
• Consume. Notice how the slaw is kinda gooshy (in a good way) and how that contrasts with the crunch of the oysters. Pulling some of the bread out of the middle will help the sandwich stay together, but you're still going to need a roll of paper towels to eat this thing.

OYSTER PO'BOY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a saucepan with garlic. Puree in a food precessor; set aside. Remove some of the bread from inside rolls. Place rolls on a baking sheet, cut sides up; set aside.
• Whisk flour, powdered milk, cayenne, salt, and herbs in a bowl; season with pepper. Dredge oysters in mixture. Heat 1 inch oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, spoon 2 teaspoons garlic butter over each roll. Bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Fry oysters in batches until golden brown, 30 to 45 seconds per side. Transfer to paper towels. Sandwich oysters, arugula, anchovies, and lemon with rolls.

OYSTER PO' BOYS

Steps:

• Make chipotle mayonnaise:
• Whisk together mayonnaise, chipotle, and lemon juice and chill mixture, its surface covered with plastic wrap.
• Fry oysters:
• Heat oil in a deep heavy pot (preferably a cast-iron Dutch oven) over high heat until it registers 375°F on deep-fat thermometer, about 12 minutes.
• While oil is heating, whisk together egg, milk, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Shake cornmeal, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper in a plastic or paper bag until combined well. Working in batches, add oysters to egg mixture, then lift out, letting excess drip off, and transfer to cornmeal in bag, shaking to coat well.
• Carefully transfer to oil, knocking off excess coating, and fry, turning occasionally, until golden and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Coat and fry remaining oysters in same manner, returning oil to 375°F for each batch.
• Assemble sandwich:
• Halve loaf crosswise and horizontally, cutting all the way through, and spread one cut side of each piece with mayonnaise. Sandwich oysters and lettuce between bread, pressing gently.

OYSTER OR SHRIMP PO' BOYS AKA POOR BOYS (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Prep the oysters: Mix the cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper and cayenne together in shallow container. Scoop up about 8 of the oysters using a slotted spoon. Allow the excess fluid to derain off briefly. Scatter the drained oysters across the cornmeal mixture. Shake the container to coat evenly. Transfer them to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the oysters.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven, with a candy thermometer attached to the side over high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Slip half of the oysters carefully into the oil. Cook, stirring and prodding them to keep them from sticking together, until they are golden. It's about 2 minutes. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Return the oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining oysters.
• To make the sandwich: Hollow out the middle of the bagette pieces. Spread mayo liberally inside each hollow. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Salt and pepper it if desired. Spread the pickles and fried oysters into the bottom crusts. Top each sanddwich with some tomato slices and lettuce leaves, ending with the top bread half (-ves).
• If you want to make shrimp sandwiches, substitute 3/4 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined. Toss them with 1 large egg (slightly beaten). Use that instead of the oysters in their liquor.

OYSTER PO' BOYS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350º.
• Lightly beat egg, milk, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoons black pepper in a bowl.
• Mix flour, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoons black pepper in a shallow baking dish.
• Mix cornmeal, 1 teaspoons salt, and cayenne pepper in another small baking dish.
• Dredge 8 oysters in flour, knocking off excess, then dip into egg mixture, letting excess drip off. Then dredge in cornmeal mixture, knocking off excess. Transfer to a rack or plate until frying. Repeat with remaining oysters in batches of 6-8, until they are all done.
• Heat oil in a 4-qt. pot over high heat to 375º.
• While oil is heating, cut bread into 4 equal portions (half and half again) then split horizontally all the way through. Put bread in oven, directly on the rack, until warm - about 5 minute.
• While bread is heating, gently drop 1/3 of the oysters into the hot oil and fry, stirring occasionally, until golden - about 45-60 sec. Transfer to papertowels to drain. Fry remaining oysters in the same manner and small batches.
• Spread bread with mayonnaise topping with lettuce and TONS of oysters.