Deep Fried Oysters

For a fun and unique way to enjoy Oysters why not try deep frying them! This fun and tasty preparation for Oysters may sound absurd, but the flavors and textures created in this dish are amazing. They look beautiful on the plate, and taste even better! These Deep Fried Oysters are coated in a light and crispy Panko Breadcrumb coating and lightly fried until golden-brown and delicious. The Oysters are light and creamy, and they contrast brilliantly with the crunchy texture of the coating. It’s a unique dish that looks and tastes amazing

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This is not an everyday dish, but a perfect appetizer when you want to impress

Look, the effort involved in making Deep Fried Oysters is quite a lot. So, for an everyday meal it’s probably not something you’re going to be often making. However, it’s such a fun and beautiful looking dish (not to mention tasty!) that it’s a perfect choice when you’re looking to impress

It’s a great appetizer for dinner parties to kick things off, or as an addition to a seafood plate for a big event like Thanksgiving or Christmas. They’re so fun to eat, and we guarantee everyone will be impressed with the creativity of this dish. Even those folks who may have eaten deep fried Oysters before will be impressed. It’s kinda hard not to like something that looks so fun and appetizing to eat!

Fried Oysters fancy — This is definitely not an every-day dish, but one to pull out for a fancy meal for a big occasion

How to make the perfect Deep Fried Oysters

This is a very simple dish to make. Like most Seafood recipes (actually, all Seafood recipes) it will all come down to the quality of the Oysters you can get your hands on. The good news is these days, no matter where you live, good quality Seafood can be found. Even those land locked states and countries are getting their hands on some good quality Seafood these days

What I would suggest is heading down to your local Fishmonger and looking at their produce. A good way to test the quality of Oysters is to ask if you can give them a smell. What you’re looking for is a light briny smell (like the Ocean). If the Oyster has an overpowering fishy smell, then it’s probably not going to be that good, so best to avoid

Even though we are deep frying the Oysters, they will always be at their best when you’re using the highest quality you can find. If you live by the coast then you’re likely very spoilt for choice! Try to get local Oysters as they’ll be the freshest, as they won’t have had to travel as far to get to the market

Fried Oysters in shell — Make sure the Oysters and the Shell are washed and dried before starting this dish

Wash and then dry the Oysters before frying

It’s important that you remove as much of the sliminess from the Oysters before they’re deep fried. This will help with the coating sticking better to the Oyster as it’s fried. All you need to do is carefully remove the Oyster from its shell and give it a little rinse in cold water

If you’re cooking up a big batch, just throw them all into a bowl and fill with water. Let them sit for a few minutes before removing them and patting dry with a paper towel. I also left our Oysters sitting on the paper towel for about 10 minutes afterwards to dry them further

You will need to do the same for the Oysters shells too. Obviously there’s no need to be as meticulous, but as they are used in the presentation of the dish it is important that they are washed and dried too. Mainly so there’s no excess liquid sitting in the shell when the Fried Oyster goes back in

Create a simple breading station while your Oil is heating

You’ll need a bit of Oil for this dish, but not a crazy amount. You want to have enough Oil in the pot so that the Oysters will be completely submerged. I’d suggest using a smaller saucepan and filling it with enough Oil so the Oysters will comfortably be submerged. Heat it up over the stove and bring it to around 350F. This will take a few minutes, so you can bread the Oysters while you wait

To create a breading station, you’ll need to fill three separate bowls. The first will be filled with All Purpose Flour, some Salt, and Corn Starch. Crack an Egg into the second bowl and whisk well to form an Egg Wash. Then, add the Panko Breadcrumbs into the third bowl

To coat the Oysters, all you need to do is coat them well with each of the three bowls. First the Flour, then Egg Wash (which helps the breadcrumbs to stick), and finally the Breadcrumbs. Try to avoid excess Flour on the Oysters, just get enough so they’re evenly coated. Ensure there is a good, and even coating of Egg Wash and Breadcrumbs

Deep Fried Oysters with Panko — The Deep Fried Oysters are covered in Panko Breadcrumbs, which gives them a light and crunchy texture

Carefully fry the Oysters until they are golden-brown

Frying the Oysters is very simple. Just slowly drop them in the Oil and after about 2 minutes they’ll be done! Perfectly Deep Fried Oysters that are golden-brown and crispy. It’s all about color at this stage, not about cooking the Oysters at all. You want the Oil hot enough so they fry relatively quickly, so after 2 minutes you should be good

Once cooked, remove the Oysters with a good strainer (I like to use a spider strainer) and set them aside on a paper towel to remove any excess Oil. Season them with a little Salt and then its’ ready for plating

Deep Fried Oysters presentation — for the final touches, top the Deep Fried Oysters with a touch of Kewpie Mayonnaise and some Chili for a beautiful presentation

Plating the Deep Fried Oysters

This is one of the fun parts of this dish! You can get so creative with how you plate this dish. I’ve gone for a classic approach with our recipe and simply placed three Oyster shells on a plate. Then, place the Fried Oyster inside. Try to avoid any breadcrumbs breaking off at this point

Then you can add some toppings. These aren’t just about adding some visual appeal to the dish, they also add some lovely contrasting flavors to the dish. I like adding Japanese Mayonnaise (known as Kewpie Mayonnaise) to the Oyster and topping it with a touch of freshly sliced Chili

You don’t need a lot of Mayo, as it can be quite sweet, so just add a touch. You’ll get a slight hit of sweetness from the Mayo, and an ever-so slight hit of heat from the Chili. All in all, it’s a delicious one bite that’s perfect to kick off a meal. You can have all kinds of fun trying different flavor toppings for your Oysters, so why not get creative and see what fun combinations you can come up with!

Recipe Details

Servings

2 – 4 people

Prep time

10 minutes

Cooking time

2 minutes

Total time

12 minutes