Southern Fried Oysters Recipe

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.

Combine the buttermilk and favorite hot sauce like Cholula hot sauce (link in notes below). So good. Not like Tabasco hot sauce in flavor. Much better in my opinion.
Cover the oysters with the marinade, then into the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Not overnight, the natural acids in the buttermilk will break down the oyster texture too much.

Mix all dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
1 cup All-purpose flour + ⅓ cornstarch + 2 ½ cup cornmeal + 2 T creole seasoning + 1 T garlic salt + 1 T onion powder + 2 teaspoon dried oregano + 1 teaspoon thyme + 1 teaspoon black pepper + 2 teaspoon salt.
Chef Tip: After mixing the dry ingredients 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

Take the oysters straight from the marinade, (do not rinse), and place them straight into the dredging flour mix.
Crispy/Thickness Options:
1) The photo on the post = wet (marinade), then the oysters added to the dry (flour), then into the fryer.
2) A thicker outside crust. Repeat option 1) above twice. Double dredge and fry.
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 you are ready to fry. (max prep time: 30 minutes in the refrigerator).
Be sure to cover the cookie sheet first with a good amount of cornmeal to avoid sticking.

A high smoke point oil is preferred when frying.
Meaning, an oil that gets to a hot temperature without smoking or burning.
I like using peanut oil or canola oil to fry oysters.
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...
Google the "smoke point" of whichever oil you choose to use beforehand. Never exceed that listed temperature.
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 or temperature probe.
The temperature will drop as soon as the first batch of oysters goes in, so keep an eye on the frying temperature. This is why we start at 360 and not 350.
Tip: 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, do not overcrowd the pot.
Suggestions: Test fry a few oysters to test the oil temperature before committing all your delicious oysters to the fryer.
Tip: Have a large plate with paper towels all laid out and ready to go before you begin frying. Place the oysters on the paper towels straight from the fryer.
Immediately after coming out of the fryer, sprinkle the oysters with sea salt.

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