Crispy, crunchy, fried oysters are a guilty pleasure of mine which I splurge on only occasionally, usually when we go out to eat. But when I do, I always enjoy these briny bivalves, which taste like the sea.
Today I was in oyster bliss as I prepared this tasty batch of the Best Southern Crispy Fried Oysters, with their delectable cornmeal coating. I also ate half of them even though it was only 10 o’clock in the morning. Yes, such is the life of a food blogger, but who am I to knock it!
Now, I confess I am not wild about eating raw oysters and have to have so many crackers and so much cocktail sauce that it just doesn’t seem worthwhile. But I’ll take a fried oyster any day!
I am, however, a little of a fried oyster snob and prefer a crisp cornmeal coating. Yes, I know folks coat their fried oysters with lots of different things such as crushed crackers, breadcrumbs, and even tempura batter. But to me, oysters and cornmeal are the way to go.
You also might be wondering why I call them the Best Southern Crispy Fried Oysters? Well, that’s easy! They are the best fried oysters I have ever had. It’s a Southern recipe because I soak them in buttermilk before dredging them in cornmeal which makes they crispy, and I fry the oysters in peanut oil.
I already know what you are probably thinking. Sharon, all of this sounds great, but I don’t like to fry anything in my house; and yes, I agree there are lots of reasons for this. The smell, the grease splatter, the mess, etc.! In fact, I’m right there with you and only do so rarely. However, what if I told you there was a way to minimize the smell, the grease splatter, and the mess and this 3-step (dunk, dredge and fry) fried oyster recipe is really, really easy? Are you with me now?
Tips:
Using a large stock pot or dutch oven with high sides instead of a cast iron pan will keep the oil from splattering all over your stove. And, if you have a screen grease splatter guard to cover your pot with it works even better.
The seafood and oil smell can be minimized by boiling several cups of vinegar and water for about 10 minutes.
Best Southern Crispy Fried Oysters are delicious served as a main dish or as an appetizer.
If you love seafood like I do, you might also like these quick and easy recipes: Oysters Rockefeller, Quick and Easy Buffalo Shrimp, and Baked Parmesan Grouper. Click here if you would like to see all of my seafood recipes.
How to make the Best Southern Crispy Fried Oysters!
Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil.
While the oil heats, pour the oysters into a strainer and let them drain.
Pour buttermilk in a medium-size bowl and add the drained oysters.
Place the cornmeal, flour, creole seasoning and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Take the oysters one at a time from the buttermilk and dredge in the cornmeal mixture. Toss gently and make sure that the oyster is coated all over.
Place the coated oysters on a metal cooling rack until all of them have been coated.
Use a candy or deep-fry thermometer to test the oil temperature and when it has reached 375 degrees, carefully add the oysters, one at a time. It works best to only cook 6-8 at a time depending on the size of your pan. (Keep the heat at 375 degrees by increasing or decreasing the heat.)
Let the oysters fry for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally or until they are golden brown and the edges are curled.
Use a slotted spoon and remove the oysters from the oil. Place on a paper towel to drain.
Repeat until the rest of the oysters are cooked and serve immediately with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce or remoulade.
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Best Southern Crispy Fried Oysters
Ingredients
- 1 pint fresh shucked oysters depending on their size there should be around 20 in a pint
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1-1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp Creole seasoning I use Zatarains
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 quart peanut oil
Instructions
- Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil.
- While the oil heats, pour the oysters into a strainer and let them drain.
- Pour buttermilk in a medium-size bowl and add the drained oysters.
- Place the cornmeal, flour, creole seasoning and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Take the oysters one at a time and dredge in the cornmeal mixture. Toss gently and make sure that the oyster is coated all over.
- Place the coated oysters on a metal cooling rack until all of them have been coated.
- Use a candy or deep-fry thermometer to test the oil temperature and when it has reached 375 degrees, carefully add the oysters, one at a time. It works best to only cook 6-8 at a time depending on the size of your pan. (Keep the heat at 375 degrees by increasing or decreasing the heat.)
- Let the oysters fry for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally or until they are golden brown and the edges are curled.
- Use a slotted spoon and remove the oysters from the oil. Place on a paper towel to drain.
- Repeat until the rest of the oysters are cooked and serve immediately with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce or remoulade.
Hi Sharon,
I am glad to have found this recipe, I am going to try it tomorrow as soon as I have bought the fine cornmeal and the buttermilk. I have a question: do you rinse the bottled oysters before draining them?
I do not rinse the oysters first. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Great, did it Father’s Day
Made this today, a perfect recipe. The cornmeal made it crispy & crunchy.
Oh! My! These are making my mouth water as I read through your post. I’ve never made fried oysters before but you have stirred me to venture into new territory. I appreciate all the tips that you give while writing. So helpful. Thanks so much for sharing.
These were amazing. I did not use the Creole seasoning as we make our own cocktail sauce with lots of horseradish. A great meal for New Year’s Eve! Will definitely be serving again and again!
So wonderful, thank you for the great recipe!
I just made these wonderfully, delicious, and incredibly easy fried crispy oysters. I had to use Old Bay, and it worked fine. I’ll be serving this dish to friends regularly!
Oysters were really good! I made them 2 times using this recipe!
These turned out amazing! First time to fry oysters but we had a pint from a virtual oyster roast for charity. Substituted milk and lemon juice for buttermilk and old bay for creole seasoning. Made remoulade and man what a fantastic dinner!!
Can I substitute Old Bay instead of Creole???
Hi Maria,
I’ve never tried it, but while it will give your oysters a slightly different taste, I can’t see any reason it wouldn’t work. Let me know how they turned out!
All the best,
Sharon