Fried Oyster with Tartar Sauce

….Oysters taste better in the winter. This is the season of fresh oysters with the most plump flesh. Oysters with strong flavor and delicious taste are a bit tricky to clean. Ever wonder why there’s the saying about not eating oysters in months that don’t have an “r” letter(May, June, July, and August)? The main reason is because it’s harder to keep them cold and fresh in the heat, especially before refrigeration. But the other reason is because in the summer months the bivalves are spawning, which gives them a weak and watery flavor. During the winter months, when the water is nice and cold, these oysters really thrive. Today, I failed again to buy a suitable size oyster. It’s too big for what I wanted, nevertheless it’s fresh and full of flavor. Also it doesn’t need any specific recipe. If you missed this season’s ingredients, you wait and it will come again.

Servings: 4–5

Times: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 200 g fresh oyster, clean(2 Ts sea salt +2 Ts flour + 4 cup water)
2. 10 asparagus, cut into 3 inches
3. 2 Ts mixed vegetables juice
4. 3 Ts flour
5. 2 eggs
6. salt to taste
7. 2 ts mirin
8. 3 cup panko
9. canola oil to fry

For tartar sauce:

1. 2 1/2 Ts onion, minced
2. 2 1/2 Ts pickle, minced
3. 2 Ts capers, minced
4. 2 1/2 Ts mayonnaise
5. 2 1/2 Ts plain yogurt
6. 1 Ts honey
7. 1 Ts horseradish
8. 1 Ts mustard
9. black pepper to taste
10. 1 ts fresh dill, minced

….all mixed

1. To clean the oysters, put the water, sea salt, and flour into a bowl. Add the oysters into the bowl and shake them gently for 30 seconds(removes the oyster sediment. Wash the oysters with cold water 2–3 times.

2. Sift the oysters with a strainer.

3. Pat dry and sprinkle 1 Ts mixed vegetable juice onto the oysters for 10 minutes. Sprinkle 1 Ts mixed vegetable juice onto the asparagus for 10 minutes.

4. Coat both sides of the oysters and the asparagus with flour. Dip them in the beaten eggs with a pinch of sea salt and the Mirin. Press them into the Panko.

5. Make the tartar sauce: Put the onion, pickle, capers, mayonnaise, plain yogurt, honey, horseradish, mustard, black pepper, and fresh dill into a bowl well evenly. Store it in a refrigerator.

6. Heat a pan with medium high heat and add the canola oil into the pan. Heat the oil 350 F(when you put wooden chopstick in the oil, there should be bubbles around the chopstick). Place several layers of paper towels on a sheet pan.

7. Fry the asparagus for 1–2 minutes until light brown. place them onto the sheet pan(remove some oil).

8. Fry the oysters for 2 minutes until golden brown. Place them onto the sheet pan(remove some oil).

9. Serve it with tartar sauce and lemon slices.

You can also view this recipe on instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CY1ePD-BfS1/