When the hubby’s away….it’s OYSTER TIME!! 😀 And anything else that I love that stinks up the whole house and has me singing and dancing in the kitchen! 😀

Ok. I should back up. Firstly – –  oysters don’t stink up the whole house, and I love them DEARLY. My hubby loves oysters too, but raw on the half shell ONLY.

I did that. Down in Acapulco, Mexico. When I was a teenager, with a beach vendor who cracked open the shell, sprinkled the raw oyster with a nice squirt of fresh lemon juice, cut it from it’s shell with a sharp knife, and slid it down my throat. THAT was one peso well spent. NOT.

I decided in that instant – –  that I would never EVER do that again.

I preferred mine cooked. And lightly breaded. And fried.

Lesson learned.

 

 

It’s been a LONG time since that day on the beach! And luckily – –  eating a basically raw oyster – –  never changed my mind about them! I still do love them, and have ever since I was just a small child, when I was first given one by my Grandpa at only just maybe 4-5 years old! It was a smoked oyster from a can, and I’ve loved them still to this day!

But lightly breaded and fried just a bit, in a little oil and butter, is my favorite way to enjoy them! You can start from raw oysters, or canned (as I did for this since I was just doing this for me), with equally great results!

 

 

I like to do a mixture of vegetable oil and butter. Vegetable oil to take the heat, and butter for flavor and nice color! You don’t want to fry these for very long. This only takes about 3 minutes total!

 

 

Now they look pretty, don’t they? 😀

Though most oyster po’ boys are served with mayo, tartar sauce, or remoulade sauce, I actually prefer cocktail sauce with mine. So I made a homemade cocktail sauce and added a little mayo at the end for creaminess. It was wonderful this way!

 

 

I also like to toast my bread under the broiler with melted butter and a little garlic first, too! It just gives it that special touch! 😉

Along with the garlic toasted bread and homemade creamy cocktail sauce, I added sliced roma tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and a little crisp-cooked bacon. Mmmmm, bacon! 😉

 

 

I’ve never had it’s equal! This sandwich was the bomb!

 

 

Although fried oyster sandwiches served on french bread originated in the late 1800’s in New Orleans and San Francisco and were called “oyster loaves”, the term “po’ boy”  is said to have originated in Louisiana during a 4-month long streetcar strike. Two local New Orleans restaurant owners served these sandwiches to the men for free, and the restaurant workers jokingly called the strikers “poor boys”. Add a New Orleans accent to that and you get “po’ boy”.

No matter how you pronounce it, these babies are delicious! Don’t care for oysters? Make them the same way with shrimp instead! 😀 But do give these a try sometime. If you’ve never had one, you’re in for a royal treat! 😉

Hope you all enjoy and I’ll see you soon! ~Kelly

 

 

Yield: 2 servings

Oyster Po' Boys with Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato & Creamy Cocktail Sauce

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Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz.) can whole fancy oysters, drained and lightly patted dry with paper towel
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1/3 cup "Chicken in a Biskit Crackers", fine crumbs, (measure after crushing)
• 1/8 tsp. creole seasoning
• 3 Tbl. vegetable oil
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
• 4 slices crisp-cooked bacon
• 2 (6-7") hoagie rolls, split
• 4 Tbl. butter
• 1 tsp. finely minced or grated garlic

For Creamy Cocktail Sauce:

• 1/2 cup Heinz Chili Sauce or ketchup
• 2 Tbl. hot horseradish
• 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. died minced onions
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. Hellmann's mayo

Instructions

In small bowl, mix together well the cocktail sauce ingredients, cover and set aside until needed.

Drain can of oysters and pat dry.

In a small bowl, beat egg well.

In a mini processor, grind crackers to fine crumbs. Add creole seasoning, and grind again just to mix.

Dip oysters into beaten egg, then into crumbs coating well.

In large frying pan, add oil and butter, and heat over medium heat to melt, stir to mix.

Add oysters and fry each side until deep golden browned. 2-3 minutes total for medium-sized oysters. Remove to a paper towel-lined pie plate to rest.

Brush inside of hoagie rolls with butter melted with garlic, and toast under the broiler if desired.

Spread all insides with creamy cocktail sauce, pile bottoms with lettuce, add tomato slices, and pile each with fried oysters.

Top each with 2 slices of crisp-cooked bacon and place on top buns.

Slice in half on the bias if desired, and serve hot.