Oysters-Fried
Select large oysters, remove pieces of shell, wash and wipe dry. Roll in well-seasoned, dry bread crumbs, which have been sifted. Dip in egg (beaten with 1 tablespoon water or oyster juice), and again in the crumbs . Fry in deep fat. 1 quart oysters 2 cups crumbs
A straightforward breaded fry, but the original assumes shucked oysters bought loose by the quart and a kettle of fat judged by eye.
- QuantityA quart of shucked oysters is roughly 24 to 36 of the larger 'select' grade, and weighs on the order of 2 lb with its liquor. It would serve four to six as a main course, more as an appetizer.
- Fat temperatureThe recipe judges the fat by eye; modern practice for oysters is around 350 to 375F. Cooler and the crumb coat soaks; hotter and the crust colors before the oyster inside has set.
- TimingTwo minutes, or until the coating is deep gold. Oysters shrink and turn rubbery quickly, so fry in small batches and let the fat recover its heat between them.
- Drying mattersThe instruction to wash and wipe dry is the hinge. Wet oysters will not hold the first coat of crumbs, and the breading slides off in the fat.
- CrumbsSifted dry bread crumbs means fine, stale-bread crumbs rather than the coarse panko or the sandy commercial crumbs sold today. Two cups is generous; season with salt, pepper and a little cayenne or paprika.
- Set the coatingNot in the original, but useful: spread the breaded oysters on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes before frying so the crust adheres.
- ServingDrain on a rack rather than paper, and serve at once with lemon, tartar sauce or a chili sauce.
Fried oysters belong to the era when oysters were cheap protein rather than a luxury. Through the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth, American cities were supplied in bulk from the Chesapeake, Long Island Sound and the Gulf, and shucked oysters were sold by the quart from barrels and cans, which is why this recipe measures them by volume and never mentions shells except to pick the fragments out. Oyster saloons, cellars and stands sold them fried, stewed and roasted in every price bracket. A cookbook aimed at ordinary households includes the dish because it was thoroughly domestic food, not restaurant cooking. Overharvesting and pollution would eventually thin the beds, and the price of a quart of oysters has moved a long way since.