Fried Oysters

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(3 servings)

I love oysters on the half shell, but in all honesty I love fried oysters even more. If they are fried quickly, they can be crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. I try to stay away from fried foods, but I have been thinking about these oysters for several weeks now, and took the plunge this weekend when I saw some nice plump ones at the seafood counter.

I served these with tartar sauce, I made.

tartar sauce
1/4 cup cornichons, finely diced
1 tbsp small capers
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp anchovy paste
1/4 tsp paprika
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp plain yogurt

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl until well mixed and set aside.

fried oysters
1/4 cup flour
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4-1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4-1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
about 1 1/2 cups Panko
16 shucked oysters, about 9-10 oz.

oil for frying
lemon wedges for garish

Combine the flour, cayenne, salt and pepper on one plate.

Whisk the egg and milk with a fork in a shallow soup dish.

Place the panko on a third plate.

Heat the oil to ***about 360°F.

Shake the excess liquid off an oyster and dredge it in the flour. Coat it with the egg wash, then  roll it in the Panko. ***I like to test one oyster first for a couple of reasons. To see if I need to adjust the seasoning for the flour mixture, and to check the heat of the oil so that I can fry the oyster fast enough to brown the outside and keep the inside tender and juicy. If the oysters fry for too long, they can become rubbery. (I ended up increasing the heat a bit.)

When I'm happy with my test oyster, I coat the remaining oysters in the flour/egg/Panko mixtures and fry them in small batches. Drain on paper towels.

Serve with the tartar sauce and garnish with lemon wedges.