New Orleans Fried Oyster Po' Boys
By Matthew FairmanPublished on December 19, 2024
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
The number of oysters in a container can vary, so we recommend purchasing 1 quart (or 2 pints) to ensure you have enough for four sandwiches (six to eight oysters per sandwich). New Orleans–style French bread is difficult to find outside of Louisiana and the surrounding states. Banh mi rolls—which you may be able to find at your local Vietnamese bakery or restaurant—make a suitable substitute. In a pinch, you can use any locally available (roughly 8-inch) soft white sub rolls. Look for freshly shucked oysters, sold by the quart or pint, at your seafood counter. We prefer the flavor of Blue Plate mayonnaise for these po’ boys, but you can substitute another type of mayonnaise if preferred.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Whisk flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, Creole seasoning, and baking powder together in shallow bowl. Transfer half of flour mixture to second shallow bowl; set aside.
- Line large plate with triple layer of paper towels. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep; heat over medium-high heat to 400 degrees.
- Place oysters in fine-mesh strainer to drain excess liquid. Add half of oysters to 1 bowl of flour mixture and toss gently to coat. Working with 1 or 2 oysters at a time, shake off excess flour mixture and carefully add to hot oil. Fry, stirring occasionally, until oysters are golden brown and bubbling has subsided, about 2 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to maintain oil temperature between 375 and 400 degrees.)
- Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer oysters to prepared plate and let drain for 30 seconds, turning once while draining. Transfer fried oysters to prepared rack and keep warm in oven. Return oil to 400 degrees and repeat with remaining oysters and second bowl of flour mixture; keep warm in oven.
- Spread mayonnaise evenly over both cut sides of each roll. Divide oysters, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles evenly among rolls. Drizzle with Tabasco. Gently press sandwich halves together to compress fillings slightly. Serve.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Aside from choosing the right bread and knowing what “fully dressed” means (shredded lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mayo), a truly excellent oyster po’ boy boils down to making great fried oysters. For fried oysters with a flavorful, crisp coating, we settled on a simple dusting of flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, Creole seasoning, and baking powder. The cornmeal, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch gave us the perfect balance of crispness and crunch, while the baking powder lightened the crunchy coating, ensuring there were no hard, pebbly bits of fried dredge. To get the coating to adhere properly, we used the oysters’ natural juices (also known as liquor) in place of an egg wash. We simply drained them of their excess liquor before tossing them with dredge ingredients. The oysters’ small size called for a high temperature that would brown the cornmeal coating before the oysters became overcooked and tough.Aside from choosing the right bread and knowing what “fully dressed” means (shredded lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mayo), a truly excellent oyster po’ boy boils down to making great fried oysters. For fried oysters with a flavorful, crisp coating, we settled on a simple dusting of flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, Creole seasoning, and baking powder. The cornmeal, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch gave us the perfect balance of crispness and crunch, while the baking powder lightened the crunchy coating, ensuring there were no hard, pebbly bits of fried dredge.
Before You Begin
The number of oysters in a container can vary, so we recommend purchasing 1 quart (or 2 pints) to ensure you have enough for four sandwiches (six to eight oysters per sandwich). New Orleans–style French bread is difficult to find outside of Louisiana and the surrounding states. Banh mi rolls—which you may be able to find at your local Vietnamese bakery or restaurant—make a suitable substitute. In a pinch, you can use any locally available (roughly 8-inch) soft white sub rolls. Look for freshly shucked oysters, sold by the quart or pint, at your seafood counter. We prefer the flavor of Blue Plate mayonnaise for these po’ boys, but you can substitute another type of mayonnaise if preferred.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Whisk flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, Creole seasoning, and baking powder together in shallow bowl. Transfer half of flour mixture to second shallow bowl; set aside.
- Line large plate with triple layer of paper towels. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep; heat over medium-high heat to 400 degrees.
- Place oysters in fine-mesh strainer to drain excess liquid. Add half of oysters to 1 bowl of flour mixture and toss gently to coat. Working with 1 or 2 oysters at a time, shake off excess flour mixture and carefully add to hot oil. Fry, stirring occasionally, until oysters are golden brown and bubbling has subsided, about 2 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to maintain oil temperature between 375 and 400 degrees.)
- Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer oysters to prepared plate and let drain for 30 seconds, turning once while draining. Transfer fried oysters to prepared rack and keep warm in oven. Return oil to 400 degrees and repeat with remaining oysters and second bowl of flour mixture; keep warm in oven.
- Spread mayonnaise evenly over both cut sides of each roll. Divide oysters, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles evenly among rolls. Drizzle with Tabasco. Gently press sandwich halves together to compress fillings slightly. Serve.
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