Pan Fried Oysters

The Ingredients You'll Need

Oysters. You may use fresh or already shucked oysters as seen above. In fact, pan frying oysters is a great way to prepare store-bought shucked oysters. If you live in a landlocked state like us frozen shucked oysters are much easier to find than live oysters in the shell.

Of course, fresh is best and if you live by the water and getting fresh oysters is not an issue - we raise a glass to your fortunate circumstances.

Flour & bread crumbs. As the dry ingredients to the breading set up. All purpose flour works great, we recommend Panko bread crumbs because they create a crispier coating.

Eggs, beer or soda water. As the wet ingredients to the breading set up. A splash of beer adds more falvor but you can also use soda water.

Cooking oil. Peanut oil or vegetable oil both work great for frying oysters.

Seasonings. Kosher salt and black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper. You can also use paprika, creole seasoning, Old Bay, Cajun seasoning (all to taste)

Organize Your Workflow 

You need to serve the pan fried oysters right away which is why it is helpful to prepare a few things in advance.

• Have a serving platter ready with several lemon wedges, dips, sauces, coleslaw (if serving). Perhaps a few side plates.

• Also prepare a paper towel lined plate to drain the fried oysters for a minute before you transfer them to the serving platter.

How to Fry Oysters in a Pan

If using shucked oysters it is a good idea to quickly rinse and drain them. If using fresh oysters you just shucked, disregard.

Next you need to bread or batter them and then fry them. 

As much as we love beer batters, when it comes to pan frying oysters we prefer to bread them. Chris usually makes us extra crispy Panko fried oysters and the contrast between the crunchy outside and the soft inside is just perfect. 

See the images below for the workflow and consult the instructions underneath them. The recipe card at the end of the post summarizes everything.

1. To start whisk together eggs, flavorful beer (our favorite way, but you can substitute with buttermilk or milk), salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder and cayenne pepper (optional).

2. Mix flour and Panko bread crumbs (the southern style is to use a cornmeal mixture). Shake off excess.

3. Heat oil in pan (about ½ inch deep) over medium-high heat.

4. Dredge oysters in egg wash, coat in flour mixture and slide into the hot oil.

5. Fry for about a minute per side (turn them over carefully using a spoon, tongs can be tricky here) then drain over paper towels lined plate.

At What Temperature Do You Fry Oysters?

When pan frying oysters make use of your food thermometer and maintain a cooking oil temperature of 370-375 F. 

The frying time depends on the size of the oysters and how many you have in the pan at the same time.

Work in small batches to avoid lowering the oil temperature.

Up to five-six at a time if your oysters are smaller or two at a time if they are bigger like the ones you see in the pictures. 

Smaller oysters will cook much faster so watch out for that golden brown color to appear and remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. 

What Sauces, Dips and Sides Go Well with Fried Oysters? 

The quintessential way to present fried oysters is with a small bowl of remoulade sauce. There are many delicious variations (spicy, smokey, more acidic), but this time around Chris made a classic remoulade - mayo, vinegar, mustard, shallots, capers, chopped pickles, fresh chives. 

You can also make a quick lemon garlic aioli or serve with any kind of spicy dipping sauce, your favorite hot sauce or classic cocktail sauce. Lemon juice is a must and we like to include fresh garnishes like green onions and add crunch by way of a quick mayonnaise-less coleslaw. 

If you want to turn your fried oysters into more of a meal than an appetizer you can always assemble a po boy sandwich or eat them with a salad (Caesar is our favorite choice).

Tips for Frying

How to make battered oysters?

If you would rather batter your oysters than bread them all you need to do is prepare a batter, carefully pat dry the oysters, coat each oyster in batter and then fry.

TIP: Make sure the oil in your frying pan is a tad deeper, about 1 inch. Same temperature of 370-375 F. For a quick batter right before frying mix 1 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper and 12 oz of cold beer (or soda water). Mix and immediately coat oysters and fry until golden brown.

How to make firmer oysters?

Sometimes people have issues with the softer texture of the oysters underneath the crunchy casing or sometimes the oysters are simply too large to firm up entirely during pan frying. 

TIP: If you'd like a bit firmer oysters simply blanch them before starting the breading process. To do that bring water to boil (no need to salt it for obvious reasons) and blanch the oysters for about 2 minutes. Remove, let cool off a bit and follow the recipe.

With Chris being from Florida every time we visit we love sitting by the water in a casual setting, sipping on cold session beers and munching on fried oysters, crab etc. It is about as idyllic as sitting under the shade of a walnut tree in a Bavarian beer garden. So Pan Fried Oysters are joining the other tasty members of our Beer Garden Menu.