We enjoy oysters. Well…my husband, my mom and I do. My sister’s learned to like them over the years and dad still doesn’t eat them. At home, we like to make fried oysters. This is a home recipe for fried oysters and tartar sauce the way grandma made it. Make sure you buy fresh ones from a fish market or from a grocery store that you trust!

Ingredients:
For the oysters:

• 1 egg

• oysters (buy shucked, fresh oysters in a container)

• ¾ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

• ½ cup flour

• lots of oil
For the tartar sauce:

• 2 hard boiled eggs

• ¼ cup mayo (Kewpie brand)

• ½ lemon (squeezed)

• fresh parsley leaves

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse the oysters and drain. Keep off to the side. Take a medium bowl and using a fork, mash the hard boiled eggs. Add about ½ cup of mayo to the eggs. Add the lemon juice and mix well. The amount of mayo and lemon juice can change in the recipe because it’s up to each person how they desire the consistency of the tartar sauce. If you desire for it to be thick, add more mayo. If you like it to be lighter, add more lemon juice. Add fresh parsley leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate.
2. To prepare the oysters, you’ll be making an assembly line. Spread flour on a flat plate. In a bowl, beat the eggs and mix in 2 tablespoons of water. On another flat plate, spread panko. Start with 3/4 cup on the plate. If you need more, you can always add more onto your assembly plate later. Your assembly line should be A. flour B. eggs C. panko.
3. Pat the oysters dry with a paper towel. The following should be done one at a time. Take an oyster and roll it in the flour. Pat the excess flour off of the oyster and dip it in the eggs. I use chopsticks to dip it into the egg mixture so that it’s well covered. That way I won’t get sticky fingers. Don’t drop it in and let it sit because it’ll take the flour off. Dipping it into the egg mixture should be quick. Make sure the entire oyster is covered in egg and then place it on the panko. Roll the oyster in the panko, press gently to help the panko stick and pat the excess panko off of the oyster. Place on a new plate. Repeat this process for all your oysters.
4. While you’re preparing the oysters, select a deep sauté pan and fill it with oil. Depending upon the pan you select, the amount of oil you pour in will differ. There should be at least 1 – 1 & ½ inches of oil at the bottom. I suggest that you have a designated deep sauté pan for frying. Place the oil on medium high. The way you can check if the oil is hot enough is by taking one tiny piece of panko between your fingers and dropping it in the oil. If the panko when it immediately touches the oil, sizzles and starts frying, it’s ready. If it’s not, it’ll either linger on the surface, sink or sizzle quietly. Take two paper towels and place it on a plate. This will be a plate which you will place the fried oysters to get rid of some excess oil. Depending upon the size of your pan, place 3 – 5 oysters in at a time and lower the heat to medium. If you add too many, the temperature of the oil will go down and it will take a bit longer for the oysters to fry. Make sure you keep an eye out on it that it is fried evenly. Once it becomes a golden brown color, place it on a plate with the paper towel and continue this process until all the oysters have been fried.
5. Serve warm on a plate with tartar sauce and enjoy!