This recipe summons the laissez les bon temps rouler attitude.
Meet Cafe Louie (cafelouietx.com)— Houston’s latest and greatest all-day cafe and bakery. They dished us their take on fried oysters.
FRIED OYSTERS WITH REGGIANO TARTAR AND FRA DIAVOLO
OYSTER DREDGE
Egg whites
Yellow cornmeal
Panko
Garlic powder
Onion powder
White pepper
Salt
Blitz your panko into a fine powder, mix 50-50 with yellow cornmeal, and season with the spices and salt. Toss all your oysters in a bowl of egg whites. Take the oysters out one at a time into the seasoned flour bowl, tossing them to coat. You can reserve on a baking sheet until ready to fry.
REGGIANO TARTAR
130 grams Duke’s mayo
50 grams Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
13 grams capers, chopped finely
13 grams parsley, chopped finely
8 grams lemon juice
5 grams anchovy, chopped finely
5 grams Dijon
3 grams garlic, microplaned
2 grams salt
Mix all ingredients together. Taste for salt.
FRA DIAVOLO
225 grams canned tomato, crushed
70 grams olive oil
50 grams white wine
40 grams onion, small dice
15 grams garlic, microplaned
3 grams chile flakes
1 gram Sicilian oregano
Sweat out the onion in the oil until completely translucent. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in the chile flakes to toast, then deglaze with white wine. Reduce by half. Add in tomatoes, cook and reduce by 1⁄4. Season along each step with salt, and adjust at the end.
PICKUP
Set up a fryer at 350F. Drop in your oysters and cook until golden brown. Should take less than 2 minutes. Drain your oysters on a paper towel to take off excess oil and season with salt. Warm up your fra diavolo and place in a ramekin along with another ramekin of the tartar sauce. Mangia.