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Butter-Fried Oysters

There are easier ways to fry oysters, and faster ways, too, but if you’re going to bother to make them at home, you might as well have the best way. I won’t pretend it’s not a little bit of a project. There are bread crumbs to make, from a day-old French loaf. It’s easy if you have a blender or food processor — just remove the crust and pulse the cubes into fluffy crumbs. My recipe also calls for clarified butter. It can be made ahead, it keeps, and it really makes a difference.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound unsalted butter
  • 1 large, day-old French loaf or other hearth-style white loaf
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • pepper
  • 24 shucked oysters, drained
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • Red-pepper mayonnaise, optional
  • Lemon wedges, optional
  • Watercress or arugula, optional
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

      1585 calories; 108 grams fat; 62 grams saturated fat; 3 grams trans fat; 28 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 104 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 48 grams protein; 533 milligrams cholesterol; 1130 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

4 to 6 servings

Preparation

  1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then raise the heat a little and cook at a bare simmer for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then pour through a fine-meshed strainer. (Save any milky juices, solids or foam left behind to add to rice or vegetables.) The clarified butter can be kept in a covered jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.
  2. Remove the crusts from the French loaf. Tear the bread into chunks and pulse in a food processor or blender to make about 4 cups of crumbs. The crumbs will keep in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for several days, or for longer in the freezer, tightly wrapped.
  3. Season the flour generously with salt and pepper. Dip the oysters in the flour and then in the beaten eggs. Spread a layer of bread crumbs on a baking sheet. Place the oysters on the sheet and sprinkle with more crumbs. Roll the oysters in the crumbs so that they are well coated, adding more if necessary.
  4. Heat a wide cast-iron skillet over a medium-high flame. Add clarified butter to a depth of 1/2 inch. Toss in a bread crumb — if it browns quickly the butter is hot enough. Carefully slip in breaded oysters in a single layer, frying in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Adjust the heat to keep the oysters gently bubbling in the butter. It should take about 2 minutes to get a golden, crisp coating. Turn the oysters and brown the other side, then drain on kitchen towels. Serve hot with red-pepper mayonnaise, lemon wedges and arugula or watercress, if you like.

1 hour

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