Buttermilk

Fried oysters, corn meal style

by:
August 25, 2011
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Fried oysters, corn meal style
  • Makes 2 dozen oysters
Author Notes

Having grown up along the coast of Rhode Island I am really fond of seafood. To me oysters are best either raw or when they are fried in a premium corn meal. Recently, I found a great new source of an Indian flint corn meal from the Davis Farm. This inspired me to make a new sauce rather than the traditional tartar. —Sagegreen

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Mustard dill sauce
  • 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbl. honey, chestnut or basswood suggested
  • 2 tbl. of white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. fresh milled black and white pepper
  • 1/2-1 tsp. kosher salt, to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. roasted garlic, optional
  • 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh dill
  • The oysters
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cups of buttermilk
  • 1 tbl. fresh lemon juice
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 2 dozen freshly shucked oysters
  • 2 cups of premium corn meal (Indian flint is wonderful)
  • 1/4 cup of corn starch
  • 1/4 tsp. fresh milled black pepper
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • canola oil for frying
  • lemon wedges for final squeeze of juice
Directions
  1. Mustard dill sauce
  2. Mix the mustard, honey, and vinegar together. Add the salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil to incorporate in a smooth sauce. Add the optional garlic. Stir in the dill. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Keep chilled until serving.
  1. The oysters
  2. Beat the eggs together with the buttermilk in a nonreactive bowl. Add the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the optional garlic.
  3. Add the oysters. Cover and let these marinate in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
  4. Combine the corn meal with the corn starch, kosher salt and black pepper. Dredge the oysters in this mix. Heat about 1 inch of oil to high (about 360 degrees) to a deep frying pan. Leaving about an inch between oysters, cook up a batch at a time. These will cook fast, usually around 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Make sure the oil reheats before starting another batch.
  5. Serve warm with a dab of honey mustard dill sauce and a final squeeze of fresh lemon. You can either serve these on toothpicks already dipped and spritzed for your guests or on a serving platter with the sauce and lemon wedges on the side.
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5 Reviews

boulangere
boulangere December 1, 2011
Mmmmmmm. Lovely photo, too.
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen December 1, 2011
Thanks, b!
 
lorigoldsby
lorigoldsby August 27, 2011
I do love an oyster po boy, this may be my new breading. Other than fried or my oysters rockafeller, I never eat them raw and can't imagine the horror of an oyster loaf! (sorry niknud!)

But keep the east coast seafood recipes rolling in, please!
 
Niknud
Niknud August 25, 2011
I have always been of the opinion that the less done to oysters the better. A squirt of lemon juice or a drop of hot sauce...and woe to the person who brought a perfectly delcious raw oyster near a heat source. I shudder remembering the dreaded oyster loaf that was endemic in my family during the holidays. That being said, this sounds like a lot of fun - I've never done the corn meal thing and the mustard-dill combo is neat (maybe go with calamari too?). I'm not saying I'm a convert but you've raised my eyebrowns and possibly convinced me to try oysters a different way! Thanks!
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen August 25, 2011
Thanks, Niknud. I love raw oysters, too! But this corn meal is pretty special.