The Fried Oysters My Dad's Made 100,000 Times
Why this recipe
Most fried oysters recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 60+ years and can make this in his sleep.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 72.2K views, 2K likes on YouTube.
There's no question that the Cantonese love seafood. From fish to lobster, we've shared many of our favorite traditional Cantonese seafood dishes and this Fried Oysters (酥炸生蠔) recipe is yet another to add to the collection. Learn how to make fried oysters with tips from a professional chef and you'll be able to whip up a unique, crowd-pleasing appetizer anytime.
My dad's version includes a batter lightly seasoned with white pepper and fish sauce to help bring out the oyster's natural sea flavors. Thanks to a double fry, they come out beautifully golden and crunchy and, while they're delicious all on their own, you can also serve them with a dipping sauce. Pro tip: We discovered they pair very nicely with our Peking Pork Chop sauce!
Ingredients
Instructions
Clean oysters
Place the oysters (10 oz) in a bowl. Sprinkle in the cornstarch (2 tablespoon) and gently mix it into the oysters, being careful not to break up them up.
Pour clean cold water into the bowl, gently swirl the oysters around to wash off the cornstarch and pour out the dirty water. Rinse the oysters two more times and place the oysters in a colander to drain.
Prep batter & cabbage
To a bowl, add the flour (4 tablespoon), cornstarch (1.5 tablespoon), baking powder (0.50 teaspoon), garlic salt (1 teaspoon), white pepper (0.33 teaspoon), fish sauce (1 tablespoon) and water (4.5 tablespoon). Stir until it becomes a smooth batter (it should flow in a steady stream when poured) and set aside.
Slice off the amount of cabbage (2 oz) needed and cut it into thin shreds. Pull them apart by hand and place on your serving plate.
Lay clean paper towels on a cutting board, place oysters on top and layer another piece of paper towel on top. Gently pat the oysters dry. This will help the batter better adhere to the oysters.
While the excess moisture is getting soaked up, add the oil (1 tablespoon) to the batter and stir to combine.
Cook oysters
Heat a wok on high. When the wok is hot enough, pour in the oil (10 oz) and wait for it to reach 330°F (165°C).
Place the oysters into a mixing bowl and pour in batter. Use your hands to gently coat the oysters with the batter.
When the oil has come up to temperature, reduce the heat to medium.
(Chef's Tip: If you don't have a thermometer, you can use the following trick to gauge the temperature of the oil. Dip a chopstick in a small amount of batter, drip some into the oil and if it floats, then the oil is ready for frying.)
Carefully lower the oysters into wok one at a time and deep fry until golden brown, about 1 minute.
Use a spider strainer to remove the fried oysters from the wok. If your wok is smaller, fry in batches and repeat the same steps until you've cooked all of the oysters.
Use a mesh strainer to remove any small fried bits in the hot oil.
Fry oysters
Increase the heat to high to bring the oil up to a temp of 390°F (199°C).
Once it reaches temperature, lower the oysters into the wok and fry until golden brown, about 20 seconds.
Use a spider to take out the oysters and let the excess oil drip back into the wok.
Transfer to the plate, nestling them on the pile of shredded cabbage.
Pairs well with
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We started Made With Lau to celebrate Cantonese culture and honor the legacy of our wonderful parents, Jenny and Chung Sun Lau.
Our hope is that these recipes and stories help you spread the joy, love, and nostalgia that I felt growing up.
