Beer-Battered Oysters With Jalapeno Tartar Sauce
serves 4
This recipe makes more batter than required for the oysters – use it to fry up zucchini slices, onion rings or green tomatoes.
Read more about this recipe at hogwash.
For Oysters:
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
11 ounces cold beer (such as lager)
Tabasco sauce, to taste
20 large shucked oysters, drained and blotted dry with paper towels
For Jalapeno Tartar Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 to 12 pickled jalapeno pepper rings (at least 4 for flavor, 12 for healthy spice)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
prep: 30 minutes
total: 30 minutes
large, heavy soup pot
wire whisk
large bowl
small bowl
2 plates lined with paper towels
slotted spoon
1. Fill a large, heavy soup pot at least 3 inches deep with the oil and heat to 375F.
2. While the oil heats, whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and a good grinding of black pepper in a large bowl until blended.
3. Meanwhile, make the Jalapeno Tartar Sauce: Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until blended. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. When the oil is at about 325F, whisk the beer into the dry ingredients and stir until the bubbles dissipate. Season with a few shakes of Tabasco, and stir again.
3. When the oil reaches 375F, dip two oysters at a time into the batter to coat completely and carefully drop them into the hot oil. Repeat with additional oysters, roughly 6 per batch. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the oysters are golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the oysters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, and serve hot with tartar sauce. Repeat with the remaining oysters, allowing the oil to come back up to 375F between batches. (You may need to regulate the heat up and down as you fry.)
