By Ellen L. Published: 2017-04-29
If you love fresh succulent oysters as much as we do, then you're in for a treat! This is our version of the fabulous oyster burger, a rare sight, I'll admit, but much loved by those who have met and been utterly charmed by this culinary delight.
I had my first in Vancouver, at a greek restaurant of all things. It was love at first bite, really, I just couldn't believe how tasty the oyster burger was, crispy on the outside, juicy and tender and oh so oyster-y on the inside. Pure heaven! SO...zip to the future and we have discovered the joys of first rate frozen oysters and naturally decided we had to try to recreate that long ago sea kissed delight.
It took a few tries, cuz you've just got to get the batter just right, but we do believe that we have nailed it with our Crispy Batter Fried Oyster Burger, a crunchy yet succulent tartar sauce touched seafood burger, or the 'Sea Burger' as we call it around here.
The reason, now that I'm thinking about it, that oyster burgers are few and far between is because oysters are expensive. Delicious succulent sea fresh oysters are freaking expensive. And unfresh, so-so oysters taste pretty shit. So therefore hard to make good oyster burgers.
But...TA-DA...the perks of modern science! There are oysters out there that are harvested, shucked and frozen immediately to be shipped to your local supermarket for your convenient consumption. And they are absolutely delicious. Not as delicious as just shucked oyster, of course, but pretty darn close. (We have so far found that frozen oysters from Japan are the best. Discover them at your nearest Asian grocer.)
Once you have your source of good oysters, the only thing left really is the batter. The batter is KEY! As I mentioned we have tried many different types of batter. We didn't want panko type crumbs in the batter, as it made the fried batter too hard/sharp when in your mouth. Egg made the batter too eggy in taste and more puffy than crisp. Beer was pretty good but there is always the taste of the beer in the batter.
We finally settled for the classic method for batter, so simple it seems not enough. Just flour and cold water and a bit of baking powder. Add spices if you like. And you know what, this batter is AMAZING! Light. Crispy. Crunchy. Tasty. So easy to use. And stays crispy. We are going to use this as our go to batter for all seafood from now on!
Putting that idea into effect right away, here is a plate of crispy fried shrimps and oysters using THE BATTER. See how the batter is nicely puffy and there are lovely crisps everywhere. Oh my gosh, so good, you could add a few crispy shrimp into your 'Sea Burger' as well.
Now to build your oyster burger! We like to keep our 'Sea Burgers' simple, toasted sesame bun with a dab of tartar sauce, topped with very thinly sliced onions, rocket leaves (also known as arugula), sliced tomato and then finally finished with crispy batter fried oysters smothered in more homemade tartar sauce and a sesame bun on top.
Or you could try making a 'SeaDog' a crispy batter fried oyster filled hotdog! Both are equally yummilicious!
Crispy Batter Fried Oyster Burger Recipe
Prep time: Cook time: (makes 6 burgers)
Ingredients:
Batter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup water, ice cold (or reserved oyster defrost water)
Burger Fixings
- 6 hamburger buns
- 18 oysters, thawed with thaw water reserved
- 1/2 onion
- 3 cups rocket leaves
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 6 wedges of lemon
Homemade Tartar Sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 pickle, or 8 cornichons
Directions:
Thaw oysters in fridge for a few hours until completely thawed. Reserve the oyster thawing water.
Make tartar sauce by chopping pickle finely then mixing with the mayonnaise.
Peel and slice onion finely. Wash and dry rocket leaves. Wash and slice tomatoes. Toast hamburger buns.
Prepare batter by mixing flour, baking powder, salt, water (or equivalent reserved oyster thaw water). Whether water or oyster thaw water is used, please remember that the liquid should be ice cold. (The cold batter creates the lightness and the puff of the batter when fried.)
Heat 2"-3" oil in small pot until hot. Check the oil's readiness by dropping a bit of batter in the hot oil. If the batter rises up from the bottom right away and the oil bubbles around the batter then the oil is ready.
Dredge the oyster through batter, coating thickly. Quickly drop into hot oil. Drop a few more, taking care not to overcrowd the pot. The oyster should rise up to the surface right away, if not, the oil is not hot enough. Let cook until golden then flip. When both sides are golden and crisp, remove from oil and place onto paper towels to drain. Repeat until all the oysters are crispy golden fried.
Your oysters will stay crispy so no need to hurry. Bring out all your burger fixings and tartar sauce and let everyone construct their own unique Sea Burger. Squeeze lemon on your crispy fried oysters and Enjoy!
Sea-licious Recipes at The Hong Kong Cookery:
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