Corn Fried Oysters With Jalapeno Cream

Submitted by Corporate Chef Andy Stewart

8

Ingredients

16 oysters, in the shell
½ cup corn meal, fine grate
Flour
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper
¼ cup vegetable oil
Jalapeno Cream, recipe below
Red Pepper Coulis, recipe below
Scallions, thinly sliced

Jalapeno Cream

¼ cup Fustini’s 12 Year White
1 to 2 jalapenos, minced
1 small shallot, minced
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
Drizzle of Fustini’s Cilantro and Onion Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Red Pepper Coulis

1 tablespoon Fustini’s Cilantro and Onion Olive Oil
2 red bell peppers, seeded, stemmed, and pith removed
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of Jalapeno Creme, from above
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Fustini’s 12 Year White Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and pepper

Directions

Step 1. Jalapeno Cream

Bring the Fustini’s Vinegar to a simmer in a small sauce pan over medium low heat and reduce by half, swirling often, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Place the jalapenos, shallot, sour cream, cream cheese, and heavy cream in a small bowl and mix well. Add the Fustini's Cilantro and Onion Olive Oil and a tablespoon of the jalapeno balsamic syrup and mix well. Season the cream with salt and pepper.; Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Step 2. Red Pepper Coulis

Heat the Fustini’s Cilantro and Onion Olive Oil in a medium sized pan. Roughly chop the red peppers and add to the hot oil along with the shallot. Cook the vegetables over medium heat, stirring frequently until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the jalapeno cream, the cilantro, and the Fustini’s 12 Year White Balsamic Vinegar. Blend to a liquid in a blender and push through a fine mesh strainer. Keep warm until ready to use.

To Serve: Place a small dollop of red pepper coulis in the bottom of each oyster shell, top with a corn fried oyster and another dollop of jalapeno cream on top. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions.

Step 3. Oysters

Shuck oysters and separate the meat from the shell. Reserve the meat, liquid and shell separately. Place the cornmeal in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place the flour in another small bowl and the beaten egg in a third small bowl. Bread the oyster meat one at a time by dredging in flour and shaking off the excess, then dipping in egg, allowing any excess to drip off, and then rolling in the cornmeal.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is very hot, fry the oysters quickly in the oil turning only once, cooking 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels briefly.

ALTERNATIVELY: cook oysters in a pre-heated air-fryer.

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