Fried Oysters

Oysters are in season in November, and often find their way onto Thanksgiving menus in the Mid-Atlantic states. Unless you’re skilled with a shucking knife, you’ll want to buy your oysters out of the shell. As always, we’ve included gluten and dairy free substitutions.

Ingredients

Peanut oil, for frying

1/2 cup buttermilk – we used oatmilk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice added

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika or Old Bay

Optional hot sauce

3/4 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup all-purpose flour – we used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

24 shucked oysters

Directions

Stir together the buttermilk, egg, garlic powder, paprika or Old Bay, and optional hot sauce in a medium sized bowl.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and pepper together in a separate wide bowl or dish.

Add the oysters to the buttermilk and let soak. Add oil to a skillet and place on stove to heat.

One oyster at a time, remove from the buttermilk mixture, letting the extra drip off, and dredge through the cornmeal mixture, shaking off the excess.

Fry in the hot oil in batches, until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Place cooked oysters to a paper towel-lined plate or rack. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy!