Chicken fried oysters
Southern Fried Oysters
Crispy southern fried oysters may be my favorite dish. I have a lot of favorites, I know, but this one is definitely at the top of every list. Eat them as a snack or pile them into a po’ boy you really can’t go wrong with this recipe.
I picked a tub of tasty little Alabama oysters already shucked from Whole Foods. These were a bit smaller and almost twice as expensive as the shucked oysters I usually get from Kroger. I’ve been happy with the flavor of both options but my wallet prefers the cheaper kind.
Be very gentle with the raw oysters, they break apart easily.
To make the coating for my southern fried oysters I use a rather un-southern ingredient, masa harina – the traditional Mexican corn flour used to make tortillas. I love the fine texture of masa, it makes a perfectly crispy, gluten free coating.
The process for making these crispy southern fried oysters is similar to what I use when I make my Nashville Hot Shrimp recipe. The only difference is that I let the oysters soak in a lemony milk bath then I dredge them in masa harina before frying them in hot oil.
I toss a bit of my spice blend into the milk mixture as well. This is an optional step but I like to get the flavors in at every stage of the game. You can substitute Old Bay seasoning if you like.
I like to serve my fried oysters with a little Comeback Sauce for dipping
Hot and Crispy Southern Fried Oysters
Ingredients
- 1 pint of shucked oysters
- 2 cups milk whole or 2%
- 2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 cups masa harina
- SEASONING BLEND
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- OR 2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning INSTEAD of the seasoning blend
- Canola oil for frying about 2 cups
Instructions
- Stir together the milk, lemon juice and hot sauce
- Drain the oysters, add them to the milk mixture and refrigerate for 15 minutes
- In a shallow dish combine masa harina, salt, paprika, cayenne, and garlic powder
- Drain the oysters from the milk mixture and dredge them in the masa harina mixture
- Heat the oil in a skillet to 375 degrees
- Shake off excess masa and fry the oysters 6 or 8 at a time, don't crowd the pan
- Cook the oysters for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, flipping them over halfway through cooking if necessary
- Drain the oysters on paper towels and serve with comeback sauce, the recipe is in the blog post
