A standard from New Orleans, Oyster Po’ Boy (aka Peacemakers), are fried oysters, served
on a French bread, with lettuce., mayonnaise, tomato–and for me; topped
with hot sauce. A key ingredient that differentiates po’ boys from a
hero sandwich, is the bread. Louisiana French bread is different from
the
traditional American baguette, in that it has a flaky crust with a
soft, airy center.
Oyster Po’ Boys
Enough for about 50 sliders
Recipe Courtesy of MarxFoods
Ingredients:
- 1 64oz jar of fresh shucked oyster meat
- 9 cups yellow cornmeal
- 5 eggs
- ~ 5 tablespoons ground dried de arbol peppers (optional)
- 12+ oz peanut oil
- Kosher salt
- Dill pickles
- Mayonnaise
- 8-12 tomatoes
- 2 bunches of fresh lettuce
- Brioche, sourdough, or French bread rolls
Note: 64oz is a lot of oysters. We recommend using multiple pots/pans
of oil in order to fry as many oysters at once without overcrowding the
oil. If using shallow pans, you’ll only need an inch to an inch and a
half of oil in each pan. Alternatively, you can simply fry the po’boys
to order…but that can reduce your ability to mingle with your guests.
Directions:
- In a bowl, add the cornmeal and season with salt and the homemade
chili powder. The amount of ground chili powder listed above will give
your oysters a kick that is tempered by the mayonnaise. It can, of
course, be toned down to your liking, omitted entirely, or cranked way
up for some serious fire. - Wash your lettuce, tomatoes, and dill pickles allowing them to dry.
- Heat the peanut oil in a high-sided pan or pot. You want to
maintain an oil temperature that is as close to 375 as possible (a
frying thermometer is a good way to be sure, but you can also
periodically check with a normal probe thermometer in a pinch) - Beat the eggs in a small bowl with 3-4 tsp of water to loosen them up.
- Drain and rinse the oyster meat
- Dip each oyster in the egg mixture, then put it in the breading.
Once you have 4-5 oysters in the bowl, shake it gently to coat them
with the seasoned cornmeal. - Carefully lower each oyster into the hot oil. Use a spider or
tongs for extra safety. Do not fry more than 4-5 oysters at a time,
per pan, as you do not want to overload the oil and cause it to lose
heat. If using a shallow pan, you may want to cover it with a splatter
guard in case pockets of moisture in the oysters cause spitting. - Slice tomatoes and pickles and tear lettuce leaves. Keep an eye
on the frying oysters and turn them half way through the cooking
process (they should only take a couple of minutes to cook). - Once the oysters have firmed up and the breading has taken on a
golden color, fish them out and put them on several layers of paper
towels to drain. You can cover them with more paper towels to speed
this process and help them stay warm. - Make sure the oil has returned to a temperature of 375 before
frying another batch in that pan. Keep an eye on the quality of your
oil. When it begins to get dirty you’ll need to replace it with fresh
oil. Don’t throw the old oil out though. Simply set it aside to cool,
then filter it, and you can reuse it a few more times (assuming you
haven’t allowed it to smoke or get too dirty). - Slice and toast your rolls.
- Spread each roll with mayonnaise and layer on lettuce, tomato
slices, and pickles. Add the number of fried oysters that seems
appropriate given the size of your rolls (we prefer small brioche rolls
and about two oysters each). - Serve while hot!
