Fried Oysters

[GoneFission]

So you got all dat pee-nut oil left over frum fryin' yo Christmas turkey - now whatcha gonna do?  Well son, it's oyster season ya know?  So you gots to fry up some for you and everbody else:

Oyster Items
1 pint Southern oysters (usually 20 to 30, preferably no larger than a half dollar), shucked and stored in their own liquor

Breading Ingredients
1 pint buttermilk
1 dry pint cornmeal (about 2 cups); I get a crisp crust by using Anson Mills Antebellum fine yellow cornmeal
1 dry pint all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
1 tbsp. Creole seasoning (Zats!)
1 tsp. kosher salt or sea salt

Preparation
Reserve buttermilk in separate container. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until well blended. Remove oysters from liquor, draining excess so oysters are still wet but not dripping. Place all of the oysters in buttermilk. One at a time, remove each oyster from the buttermilk, allowing the excess to drip back into the container. Toss to coat all sides in the breading (gently press the breading onto the oyster to help it adhere). Transfer to waxed-paper-lined plate or cookie sheet until oysters are all breaded.

In a heavy stockpot with high sides fitted with a deep-frying (or candy) thermometer, bring at least two inches of peanut oil to 375ºF.

Keeping the heat at a steady 375ºF and working in batches of six, fry the oysters until they are golden brown and just cooked through, about 90 seconds. (The oysters will curl slightly when they are done.) Using a slotted spoon, remove oysters and drain on brown-paper-bag-lined plate. Serve immediately with a side of rémoulade (see other post).

[John Jones]

That sounds really good CJ.  I'm sorry but when I can get good oysters I ain't cooking 'em.  Just give me some good cocktail sauce with double the horseradish.  ;)

[gran398]

That's a terrific recipe CJ. Thanks!

You can substitute any kind of seafood and get the same great results. And if you want, you can buy any southern-style seafood breader..its exactly what you describe, fine ground corn meal, flour, salt, and seasonings.

Now here's something weird. My wife heard on "Food Network" to add corn starch to the breader/flour...an "oriental secret" that makes the flour adhere better to the seafood.

I tried it the other night...didn't work. Fell right off. Anyone heard of such a thing?

[Blue Agave]

I've heard that paprika helps when frying shrimp.

[John Jones]

I tried it the other night...didn't work. Fell right off. Anyone heard of such a thing?

Never heard of the corn starch thing.  I just use an egg wash.  I also slowly lower the filets into the oil one at a time to give it time to crust over.  They don't stick together either.

[GoneFission]

Corn starch can help make things more crispy when fried, and can adsorb liquids better than flour or corn meal.  So it can make breading more "sticky" when putting it on something wet.  

Getting breading to adhere is helped by the buttermilk - the acid in the buttermilk helps break down the oil/fat that coats some meats, making the breading adhere better.  

Another thing is to have enough oil to where the breading does not come in contact with a dry pan bottom and stick to the pan.  

And one more!  The type of pan makes a difference.  I have a bunch of great stainless All-Clad pans, but could never get an omlette to slide out (like they are supposed to) with the stainless pans.  I tried different oils, cooking heats, etc, but no real change.  Then I got one of the All-Clad nonstick pans and instantly the problem was solved.  Be careful not to overheat a nonstick pan, and remember to use teflon-safe utensils.