Deep Fried Oysters with Remoulade
If you love deep fried oysters, with a crispy cornmeal crust, then stick around for this one. Deep Fried Oysters with Remoulade are easy to make and so good, you’ll want to make a double batch!
One of my readers recently wrote to me asking if I had a recipe for fried oysters on this site. Shockingly, I didn’t. I mean, I’ve made fried clams, grilled oysters, oysters on the half shell, and oyster stew — but no fried oysters. I needed to remedy the situation quickly. Presenting deep fried oysters with remoulade.
Being from Virginia (a stone’s throw from the Chesapeake Bay), I was raised on oysters.
Deep-fried oysters are a “thing” for lunch or dinner at most diners and lunch counters near the water — especially in the more rural areas in and around the Eastern Shore. Some of the best in the area come from the Rappahannock River Oyster Company.
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Table of Contents
ONLY EAT OYSTERS IN MONTHS WITH AN “R”. FACT OR FICTION?
Growing up, we only ate oysters from September through April (months with the letter “R” in them). That meant oysters were off-limits from May through August. I admit I’ve stuck to this philosophy my whole life, but I was curious about the reason behind the rule.
Safety:
Food storage and handling wasn’t always what it is now. If live oysters sat out on a dock for any amount of time during the hot summer months — well, you can imagine the petri dish of food-bourne illnesses that could conjure.
Red Tides are more prominent during the summer months, and they contain algae, which can be toxic to humans. Realistically, this is all I needed to hear…
Logistics:
The summer months are the breeding season for oysters. Conventional wisdom dictates that we give the oysters a chance to spawn — so there would be oysters to harvest later. And come on… let ’em have their fun.
Taste:
To prepare for spawning, oysters convert glycogen stores to gamete (eggs and sperm), which leaves the oysters soft, flabby and funky. It’s not what you look for in an oyster.
Also, oysters from colder waters taste better. Some oystermen recommend paying attention to the frost line across the US for a good gauge of where the tastiest oysters might be at any given time of year.
For this recipe, I contacted my friend, Chef and Angler (though I’m not certain that’s the order he prefers) Joe Cascio and asked him to share one of his most popular fried oyster recipes from his restaurants, Square One Fish Company and Joe’s Riverside Grille. He happily obliged.
His recipe starts with a standard flour-egg-cornmeal dredge.
I like this method because a cornmeal crust will stay crispier longer than a standard batter and it adds a great crunch. Plus, I always have a few packages of cornmeal in my pantry.
After dredging the oysters, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and heat up your oil. If you have a deep fryer, I recommend using it because it regulates the temperature easier than constantly fiddling with the stove, but if you are using a stove, here’s a few tips about heating the oil:
How to know if the oil is hot enough for frying:
- Thermometer: This is the most sure-fire way to test your oil’s temperature. The ideal range here is between 350°–375°F. Both instant-read and candy thermometers are going to give you the reading you’re looking for – just make sure they can handle the high temperatures.
- Batter Method: If the dish you’re frying is coated with some sort of batter, a great way to test the oil is to drop a bit of the batter into the oil. If there isn’t any bubbling, then the oil isn’t ready. If it’s furiously bubbling and there is smoke, it’s too hot. {Pro-Tip: If you have little nibblets of the flour, egg, cornmeal dredge stuck to your fingers, save a few nuggets and drop those into the hot oil… if it boils and rises to the surface, it’s ready.}
- Wooden Spoon Method: This is pretty ingenious… Dip the handle-end of a wooden spoon into the hot oil. If it’s ready for frying it will bubble around the handle.
- Rice Method: Pick up a grain of rice and drop it into your hot oil. If the rice surfaces and starts to bubble, your oil is hovering around 360°F, perfect for frying.
Fry the oysters for one to two minutes, or until they’re golden and crispy. Fish them out with a slotted spoon or a spider like this one.
Transfer the oysters to a pan lined with paper towels to drain and serve them with the tangy remoulade sauce. It’s so good!
I consider fried oysters to be akin to comfort food and they go great with an icy cold beer.
More oyster recipes to try:
- Oysters Rockefeller
- Oysters Bienville
- Chargrilled Oysters
- Smoked Oysters
- Pan Fried Oysters Oreganata
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Deep Fried Oysters with Remoulade
INGREDIENTS:
For The Oysters:
- 12 large oysters shucked
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 large eggs whipped
- 2 tablespoons half and half
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 3 cups peanut oil for frying
For The Remoulade:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon tarragon vinegar
- ½ teaspoon tabasco
- 2 teaspoons capers chopped
- 1 scallion white and pale green parts, thinly sliced
- salt & pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Make the Remoulade:
- Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, dijon, whole grain mustard, ketchup, vinegar, tabasco, capers and scallion in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.
For The Oysters:
- Set up a dredging station with 3 shallow bowls. The first bowl is flour, salt and pepper, mixed together to combine. 2nd bowl is whipped eggs & half and half. 3rd bowl is cornmeal.
- Place several layers of paper towels on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Heat oil in a fryer or dutch oven to 350-375°. Test oil by dropping a grain of rice into the oil. If it immediately comes to the surface and starts to cook, it’s perfect.
- Pat oysters lightly with a paper towel. Dip one oyster into the flour mixture to lightly coat, transfer to the eggs and coat, then dip in cornmeal. Transfer the oysters to the hot skillet, cooking no more than 3-4 at a time. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer oysters to the prepared pan and continue with the rest of the batch.
- Serve oysters with the remoulade sauce.
RECIPE VIDEO:
NUTRITION:
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Question: What do I do with the half and half in the ingredients list?
Sorry about that — the eggs and half and half are whisked together to dredge the oysters. I fixed it in the recipe card. Thanks for the heads up!
Such an informative post, I had no idea about only eating oysters in months with an “R.” Love that you used a cornmeal coating, the oysters look SO crispy and golden brown. I just know I don’t want to share these oysters when I make them. LOL
Rappahannock oysters is an awesome company! I love that they deliver (even over here in WV!) And this was the first way I ever ate an oyster- you’ve made me SO HUNGRY!!!
That must have been lovely living so close to Chesapeake bay. I learned to love oysters when I lived in San Diego and you could get fresh sea food. The oysters were fantastic. There isn’t any fresh seafood in Utah but when I travel to the coast, I make it a point to order seafood. Your recipe looks amazing and If we do get fresh oysters in, I will definitely try this recipe. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
These fried oysters look excellent with that cornmeal coating on the outside! I haven’t had a lot of exposure to oysters (comes from growing up mostly in Nebraska) and hadn’t heard that about only eating oysters during months ending with an “R” but the reasons you gave make so much sense and are so interesting! I always think about eating seasonally for vegetables but not something like seafood!
Oysters were one of the things I couldn’t get enough of when I lived in Virginia, and fried oysters were one of my favorite plates to share with friends for lunch. One of our favorite places used to serve them with a Pickapeppa remoulade, which has since become my favorite condiment for all things seafood. Not much beats a crispy fried oyster!
Where did you live in Virginia? We may have been neighbors…
I would be regretful for that faux pas as well… At least you’ve learned your lesson… I forgive you.
My biggest regret in my food life is one Christmas spent in Alaska with family, they brought home oysters fresh from a local purveyor. The oysters were fifty cents a piece so we could have as many as we wanted. I REFUSED to eat any. In the last few years Ive grown to love them and cant believe I didnt try them then,,…. I will definitely give these a try. I have only had fresh oysters, but I think they will be delicious with the cornmeal crust. 🙂
I just had this conversation about oysters with a few friends of mine! We enjoyed some raw gems at a restaurant last weekend. I’m glad to know the “R” month theory is legit, because I’ve been a believer for years. And you’re right! Let’em have their fun! Hahaha.
I haven’t had breaded and deep-fried oysters in a while, but last time I did was in a po’boy in Savannah; it was damn good.
Last time I had an oyster po’ boy was in N’awlins… Damn good too!
I have to admit, I am not an oyster lover, but the hubby is, and he would ADORE this recipe. The cornmeal dredge is so intriguing and one I have never seen before. The remoulade sounds like perfection, I will just eat that with everything, I think. The tarragon vinegar is a must make for me, along with the capers in that sauce. Thanks for the great inspiration with this one!
OK…so I have just (in the last year) have started to try oysters. To date I am still on the fence. However, give me some crispy deep fried ones…and I know I would have NO problem eating these. The RAW texture (and extremely fishy taste) are the issues with me. Eating them this way would fix those issues…..perfect!!
Love, love LOVE fried oysters. I’m surprised I’ve never made them either! Interesting facts about oysters breeding season. I had no idea the flavor would change during different times of year. I can’t wait to make these 🙂
I never knew the reason behind the “r” rule, but it makes sense now that I understand the rationale.
Really neat about the ending in ‘R’ rule I hadn’t heard of that before! This dish looks so good. I especially love the dipping sauce.
These oysters look fabulous. I never heard about R factor. Maybe because I only had oysters few times in my life. But it’s time to change it 🙂
Interesting post about the R factor. I dont cook that much with oysters. But this looks flavor packed. If I want to read more about cooking oysters, will come back here 🙂
After I read the litany of reasons you should only eat them in a month with an “r” it made sense!
Lisa…why are we not neighbors already? I love everything you make and these are looking mighty fine! You know I’m pinning and sharing these for sure! Great recipe 🙂
I believe there are some houses for sale in my neighborhood!
You made this recipe look so easy and irresistible. I am sure it tastes outstanding.
I have to admit I’ve never cooked an oyster. Ever. But these look beyond delicious!! And that remoulade sauce, oh my goodness yum!
If you like oysters, you’ll love fried oysters…