Oyster Po' Boys

It's oyster season! Well it's close. From September and through any month with an R (unless you're buying from winter farmers of Sydney Rock Oysters, which is the best!), Sydney Rock Oysters are ready to go in Australia. Look I’m flexible here, and eat oysters year round if I can get my hands on them.

These guys do delivery to your door, and if you want to know what’s best right now, this is a great source of info on storing oysters, shucking, seasonality. Don’t get those shucked and washed ones so many places sell. If I have one wish for you and your relationship with oysters, that would be it. If you need help opening them, ask for them not to be washed (they do it to rid the shell of grit and shell pieces, but a decent shucker doesn’t have this issue). The flavour is in the surrounding juice as well as the oyster. A freshly opened oyster doesn’t need lemon or salt, all the complexity is right there for you.

BUT, we are frying oysters here, not eating them straight up, so there’s less need to be fussy. I’ll even buy a jar of oysters in their own juice from fish monger for these. It looks like a complicated recipe but I’ve listed salt and pepper and cayenne (leave it off and add hot sauce later if you like) and it looks like a lot but a lot of this you have on hand already. And plain old mayo (I like Kewpie for this, even) works.

Oyster Po' Boys

serves 4 | prep time 30 mins | cook time 10 mins

• 1 free-range egg

• 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) buttermilk

• 2 tsp sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• 150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

• 250 g (9 oz/1 cups) fine

• polenta (cornmeal)

• 2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/2 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) rice bran oil or frying oil

• 4 x 12–15 cm (4½–6 in) long soft bread rolls

• 12 fresh oysters, shucked

• 1 handful watercress, thick stalks removed

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• Tabasco sauce, to serve

• limes, halved, to serve

  SPICED MAYO

• 120 g (4¼ oz/½ cup) Japanese mayonnaise (such as Kewpie)

• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped

• juice of ½ lime

For the spiced mayo, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until needed.

Combine egg, buttermilk, ½ teaspoon of the salt and pepper to taste in a bowl and whisk together. In a shallow bowl, combine flour and a pinch of pepper. In a third shallow bowl, combine polenta, remaining salt and cayenne pepper.

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).

Dust the oysters in seasoned flour in three or four batches, knock off excess, then dip in the buttermilk mixture, let excess drip off, then dust in polenta. Transfer to a clean baking tray.

Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan or wok over high heat to 190°C (375°F).

While the oil is heating, prepare the rolls. Cut each one halfway through from the top, place on an oven tray and bake for a few minutes, or until warm and a little crunchy on the outside. Remove from oven to a serving plate, and drizzle 1 teaspoon of spiced mayo inside each of the rolls.

Toss the watercress in a bowl with lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Divide between the rolls.

To cook the oysters, gently drop them, one by one, into the oil, in batches of about three or four. Deep-fry for 45–60 seconds, or until golden on all sides, turning them occasionally with tongs. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Check the temperature of the oil between batches, keeping it at 190°C (375°F).

Divide the oysters between the rolls and drizzle with a little more spiced mayo to serve. Offer Tabasco sauce and lime halves on the table.

QUICK TIP

Chipotle peppers in adobo are available from good grocers and delicatessens.

This recipe appeared in Margaret and Me (Murdoch), my third cookbook. Photography by Rob Palmer. Styling by Michelle Noerianto.