Southern Fried Oysters | Works Because It's Simple

Preparation & Marinating Of The Oysters

• Rinse off the oysters under cool running water. (If the oysters are super fresh you can skip this step) Place the rinsed oysters into a bowl and cover with the marinade mix of buttermilk/or whole-milk and a few splashes of your favorite hot sauce, then into the refrigerator for 30 to 40 minutes. Not overnight, the natural acids in the milk will break down the oysters' texture too much.
• Mix all dry ingredients in a dry bowl.

  Chef Tip: After mixing the dry ingredients together take a taste of the flour mixture. Does it taste too much like flour or cornmeal? Then adjust and add more seasoning based on what you think it needs. You can always cook a small test batch and then adjust the seasoning. This is how restaurant chefs balance out dishes.

  TSA: Taste. Season & Adjust

Dredging / Flouring For Frying The Oysters

• Take the oysters straight from the buttermilk/or whole milk (do not rinse) and place them straight into the dredging mix of flour, cornmeal seasoning.

  If you like a thicker fryed oyster, not like the blog post photo, you can repeat the dredging process twice.
• Plan Ahead Option: You can dredge and flour the oysters in advance and place them on a cookie sheet and store them in the refrigerator until your ready to fry.

  Be sure to cover the cookie first with a very good amount of cornmeal to avoid sticking

Oil For Frying

• Use peanut oil if possible, the second choice being canola oil (vegetable oil has zero flavor). The high smoke point of peanut oil is preferred when frying. Google the smoke point of whichever oil you use beforehand. Never exceed that temperature.

  TIP: If the oil does get too hot and exceeds the smoking point, there is no saving the oil. The flavor will be rancid and not useable. Start over...
• Add enough oil to the pot that will cover the oysters, the oysters need to be in the oil, not floating on top of the oil. At least 4 inches of oil in the pot.

  You are "deep" frying the Oysters.

  If you're low on oil use a pot that isn't as wide and is deeper.
• Preheat to 360 degrees, testing with a candy thermometer. The temperature will drop as soon as the first batch of oyster goes in, so keep an eye on the frying temperature. This is why we start at 360 and not 350.

  Do not overcrowd the pot or the temperature will drop too much and the oysters will not get crispy, but muddy and soggy full of oil.

  Manage the oil temperature. Simple, not to overcrowd.
• Chef Tip: Test fry a few Oysters to see if the oil temp looks just right and for taste testing.
• Then TSA ( Taste Season & Adjust....)
• Have a large plate with paper towels laid out ready to go before you begin frying. Place the oysters on the paper towels straight from the fryer.
• Sprinkle the oysters with salt immediately after coming out of the fryer

• In a heavy round ovenproof baking dish spread enough rock salt to make a 1-inch layer. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small bowl combine bacon, celery, chervil, green onions, parsley and spinach. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon juice and optional Pernod. In another bowl combine bread crumbs with oil and Creole seasoning; season with salt and pepper.
• Carefully open oysters and discard top shell. Drain liquid, loosen oyster and remove any grit or sand. Push oyster shells firmly into the rock salt. Top with greens mixture, then with bread crumb mixture. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until bread crumbs are lightly browned. Serve immediately, directly from baking dish.