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Charbroiler and Deep Fryer Put to Work!
So I cooked lunch today for my wife and a guest. Fridays is a great day to do a seafood throw-down. First up is the Charbroiled Oysters and Shrimp Appetizers. My Broiler is a portable unit so I can bring the the campground on Ross Barnett as well as use here at the house. Mostly cooking for 2 makes this unit perfect for us.
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The opening for the Broiler is narrow and Broiling Oysters and other Seafoods a small tin pan is needed. These 2 pans are from the 1940's, freshly seasoned and ready to get to work.
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On to preparing the Appetizers. These Oysters have been frozen since March. The container used is a Ball Freezer Jelly Jar. They can be hard to find but are fantastic for buying oysters in bulk when the opportunity arises. The silicone seal prevents air leakage. As long as you freeze the oysters in their own water they will keep for a year easy in one of these containers. The Shrimp are Jumbos from a local market. Peeled, Butterflied and Deviened.
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I like to set up a assembly station especially if running several batches but here it's just a pan of each today. I use Drago's Charbroiled Oyster Butter, it is available here in the grocery stores and tastes great. Usually fresh grated Parmesan Cheese is what I use but since I was out Mozzarella Cheese was used. Fresh thin sliced green onions are sprinkled on top then a few drops of Crystal Hot Sauce.
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Into the broiler each pan goes for just a very few minutes till the shrimp are cooked thru and Oysters are just hot. Very, Very, Tasty!
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Meanwhile on the Island I'm cooking Fried Crappie, Shrimp, and Oysters. We all have our own way of doing things but since now I'm too lazy to go work on a boat in the shop I will share my cooking with you.
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I like to let my fish warm up just a bit when right out of the Chiller and to pat the excess water off so the seasonings in my egg wash absorbs well. My egg wash is two well beaten eggs and a tablespoon of Liquid Crab Boil. Once the fish are in the egg wash I toss in the Shrimp too and fold over every few minutes to keep fresh egg coating on everything. You get a good look at the Ball container here, best container for Oyster storage I have found.
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I know some may be uncomfortable with this next subject but in 40 plus years of cooking no one ever got sick from it. In the country when Mama's and Grandma's make biscuits they have a bowl of Flour they make them in. It is never cleaned out that I know of just more flour added as needed. Well observing this as a teenager I started doing the same thing with my "Seasoned" Drudge fry coatings. It must be seasoned with salt as the salt is the preservative that prevents spoilage. The main difference is my Drudge container stays in the refrigerator till needed and is returned as soon as it is not. I sift the Drudge every other time and add more Fish Fry when needed. Moving on, you see my bowl of Crappie & Shrimp, seasoned now from the Liquid Crab Boil ready to fry. I toss one batch ahead into the Drudge so the first batch is given 5 minutes in the Drudge to set the coat before it goes in the oil. from there I'm coating between batches cooked till all done. We have a couple of Warming Drawers in the Kitchen so I use wire to drain on, resting in a cookie sheet, so I can go from the Fryer to the Warmer and back Quickly. I built my Kitchen here myself. It's laid out for minimal steps or reversing directions while cooking a full meal.
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The finished product, fresh cooked, hot and devoured within a matter of minutes. The anticipation to dig in accelerates the speed of consumption here. I hope you enjoy.
