Chow down on oyster po’ boys
Inspired by the Louisiana staple dish, this recipe from Gregory Llewellyn and Naomi Hart is an absolute cracker. The preparation of both the oysters and the optional Hartsyard hot sauce may take a little time, but the end result is certainly worth it. Taken from the pair’s new cookbook Fried Chicken & Friends: The Hartsyard Family Cookbook, this recipe is one of many finger-licking American-inspired recipes from the team behind award-winning restaurant Hartsyard. Serve these tasty little morsels as a snack or party pleaser.
INGREDIENTS
4 large Pacific oysters, shucked
100 ml buttermilk
1 tablespoon Hartsyard hot sauce, plus extra to serve
approximately 4 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1/4 batch of Hartsyard seasoned flour mix
4 English muffins, halved, lightly toasted and buttered
coleslaw with mayonnaise
Hartsyard hot sauce
200 g long red Fresno chillies
200 g brown onions, halved
1 litre white vinegar
100 g sea salt
100 g garlic cloves
100 g unsalted butter
250 g oak food-grade woodchips (never use chunks or pellets)
Hartsyard seasoned flour mix
2 cups self-raising flour
1/4 cup cornflour
1/2 cup tapioca flour (it is less greasy than wheat flour)
1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
1/2 cup onion powder
1/2 cup garlic powder
1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon celery salt
TO MAKE
To make the hot sauce, on a barbecue with a lid, lay out half the chillies and half the onions, leaving enough space to house a black cast-iron pan. Place the empty cast-iron pan on the stovetop until ridiculously hot (roughly five minutes on full heat). Meanwhile, in a three-litre (12-cup) stockpot, combine the remaining chillies and onions, the vinegar, sea salt and garlic. Bring to a slow simmer, never allowing the mixture to boil.
When the cast-iron pan is at smelting temperature, cover the bottom with at least 1 cm of oak chips. Leave until the chips start to smoulder and smoke (almost instantaneous) — they should never ignite. Move the cast-iron pan to the barbecue very carefully, then close the barbecue lid and leave to smoke. If the chips are still smoking after a minimum of 20 minutes, let them go until they’re finished; but if they’re done, place the whole smoked vegetables in the simmering stockpot (which by now should have been bubbling away for 30 minutes). Simmer for a further 30 minutes, ensuring the mixture never boils. After one hour of total cooking, remove the stockpot from the heat.
Stir in the butter, then wrap the top of the hot container with plastic wrap to form a seal. Leave at room temperature for 48 hours. After two days, blend all the ingredients until they’re smooth enough to strain through a colander. This should remove large chunks, leaving behind a fine pulp. Transfer to sterile bottles or airtight containers and refrigerate until required; the sauce will easily keep for a week or two. Makes about two litres or eight cups of hot sauce.
To make the seasoned flour mix, place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.
To make the po’ boys, place the oysters in a bowl. Add the buttermilk and hot sauce and stir to combine. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
Remove the oysters from the buttermilk and drain on paper towel. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Coat the oysters with the seasoned flour mix, then fry in the hot oil until golden brown and crisp on the outside, but still soft and creamy inside — about 45–60 seconds on the first side, and another 30 seconds on the second side. Remove and drain on paper towel.
To serve, place a hot oyster on an English muffin base, add a spoonful or two of coleslaw and top with the muffin lid. Serve with some more hot sauce.
Note: English muffin and coleslaw recipes can be found in Fried Chicken & Friends: The Hartsyard Family Cookbook.
Recipe and images from Fried Chicken & Friends: The Hartsyard Family Cookbook by Gregory Llewellyn and Naomi Hart. Published by Murdoch Books.
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