Oysters Rockefeller Sandwich Po Boy Food

OYSTER POOR BOY

Steps:

• Combine the buttermilk and 2 teaspoons of hot sauce in a small bowl. Add the oysters and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
• While the oysters are soaking, whisk the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, the remaining tablespoon of hot sauce, pickle brine, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, parsley, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and sumac together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the iceberg lettuce and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Heat the peanut oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Then lower the heat to slowly bring the oil up to 375 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, combine the cornmeal, panko, the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
• Remove each oyster from the marinade and shake off the excess moisture. Dredge in the cornmeal mixture, then move to a cooling rack set over a half-sheet pan. Allow the oysters to sit for several minutes afterwards to allow the breading to set.
• Transfer 6 oysters at a time to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. (Watch your thermometer because the introduction of cold food will likely pull the temperature down a bit.)
• Carefully transport the fried oysters to a clean cooling rack. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Bring the oil back to 370 to 375 degrees F and repeat with the remaining oysters.
• Split the rolls in half lengthwise. Tear out a bit of bread from the center of each roll, creating a trough. (If you wish, lightly toast the rolls in a 375 degrees F oven for 3 minutes.)
• Line the bottom of your roll with slaw and top with 5 to 6 oysters.
• Consume. Notice how the slaw is kinda gooshy (in a good way) and how that contrasts with the crunch of the oysters. Pulling some of the bread out of the middle will help the sandwich stay together, but you're still going to need a roll of paper towels to eat this thing.

OYSTER PO' BOY

Steps:

• For the wet soak: In a nonreactive bowl or gallon re-sealable bag, combine the buttermilk, beaten egg, hot sauce, basil, granulated garlic and white pepper and mix well. Add the oysters and any liquid from shucking. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes.
• For the breading and frying: In a shallow bowl, combine the panko, cornmeal, flour, dried basil, granulated garlic, cayenne, 1 teaspoons salt, pepper and paprika and mix well.
• Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large cast-iron skillet.
• Drain the oysters from the brine and dredge through the breading mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Carefully add to the hot oil in batches, to not crowd, and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and season with the remaining 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt while hot.
• For the sandwiches: Preheat the oven to a low broil. Butter the rolls and place on a baking sheet. Broil until golden, 2 to 3 minutes, and remove from oven.
• Spread Miss Dixie's Remoulade on both sides of the rolls. Layer on the oysters, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. Top with other half of bread and serve immediately.
• In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth, 25 to 35 seconds depending on blender speed. Scrape down sides as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.

DEEP-FRIED OYSTER PO' BOY SANDWICHES WITH SPICY REMOULADE SAUCE

Steps:

• Drain the oysters and place in a small bowl. Cover with 1 cup milk and let soak for 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining milk, water, cayenne and eggs. Place the flour, cornmeal, black pepper, and salt into a brown paper bag, close and shake to mix.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot, pour enough oil to fill the pan halfway. Heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 360 degrees F.
• Drain the oysters from the milk. In batches dip oysters in the egg mixture then drop in the paper bag. Close and shake. Remove to a plate and repeat with the rest of the oysters. When oil is at 360 degrees F, fry oysters in batches. Do not overcrowd. Cook turning once until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel. Repeat with remaining oysters.
• To serve, cut sandwich loaves in half horizontally. Slather a generous amount of Spicy Remoulade Sauce on the inside. Place a lettuce leaf inside and fill generously with oysters. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over oysters just before serving.
• Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.

GRANDMA'S OYSTER MUSHROOM PO BOY

Steps:

• For the vegan pepper jack: Dice the jalapeño and sauté in a pan in the oil with the red pepper flakes on medium heat.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, add the soy milk, tapioca flour, kappa carrageenan and salt. Start cooking at medium heat until it starts to thicken.
• Slowly add the coconut oil to the soy milk mixture. Emulsify with an immersion blender to blend until the oil and liquid fuse together, then add the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and nutritional yeast, whisking. Fold in the jalapeño mixture until fully mixed, then scrape it into a 5-by-9-inch bread pan or cheese mold. Let set in the fridge for 8 hours.
• For the vegan mayo: With an immersion blender, emulsify the soy milk, lemon juice, agave, mustard powder, salt and vinegar in a bowl for 30 seconds, then add the vegetable oil, continuing to emulsify on high until the liquid thickens.
• For the horseradish mayo: Mix the horseradish, Worcestershire, garlic powder, salt and 2 cups vegan mayo in a small bowl.
• For the chipotle mayo: Mix the chipotles, lemon juice and 1 cup vegan mayo a in small bowl.
• For the mushrooms: Mix together the flour and panko in a bowl. Dredge the oyster mushrooms in the unsweetened soy milk followed by the panko mixture.
• Bring the oil to 350 degrees F in a deep-fryer or Dutch oven fitted with a deep-fry thermometer.
• Fry 5 to 8 mushroom petals until golden brown and crispy, about 4 minutes on each side.
• Slice the cheese 1/2-inch-thick (or however thin you like it) and place it on the buns.
• Put a pan on a burner on medium-low heat.
• Place the bun and cheese face down in the pan to melt the cheese until lightly toasted brown.
• Spread some horseradish mayo, 5 dill pickles, oyster mushrooms, red cabbage, chipotle mayo and the cheesy bun top. (Save remaining mushrooms and sauces for another use; see Cook's Notes.) Enjoy.

OYSTER PO BOY SLIDERS

Steps:

• For the tartar sauce: Mix together the mayonnaise, parsley, capers, mustard, onions, relish and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• For the coleslaw: Put the cabbage, carrots, onions and parsley in a large bowl. Mix together the sugar and vinegar in a medium bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Mix in the mayonnaise, mustard, celery salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing into the cabbage mixture and fold. Reserve.
• For the oysters: Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees F.
• Mix together the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Put the eggs in another shallow bowl and the panko in a third. Dip the oysters first in the seasoned flour, next in the beaten egg and finally in the panko. Slip the oysters into the oil and deep-fry until golden brown; drain on paper towels.
• Putting it all together: Spread some tartar sauce on the buns. Place 2 oysters on each bottom bun, and top with lettuce and tomato. Finish with the top buns. Put some coleslaw on each plate and top with 2 more oysters.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Moisten the breadcrumbs with a little bit of olive oil.
• Shuck the oysters: There is a top flat "lid" and a bottom cupped shell for each oyster. Insert the tip of an oyster knife into the hinge where the two shells come together in a point. Twist until the lid pops open. Pull the knife out and wipe it clean so you don't get mud in the oyster. Insert the knife back into the oyster from the opposite side of the hinge, lightly scraping against the top shell to disconnect the muscle. Then go under the oyster to cut the muscle on the bottom. Flip the oyster over onto the prettier side.
• Top each oyster with a teaspoon of the creamed spinach, a piece of bacon and a bit of the breadcrumbs. On a baking sheet, create a small mound of coarse salt for each oyster to prevent them from tipping over. Nestle the oysters in the salt mounds, and bake until the bacon is cooked and the breadcrumbs browned.
• Transfer the baked oysters to a serving platter and garnish with a sprinkle of fennel pollen. If desired, garnish with grated horseradish and a drizzle of smoked olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the spinach. As soon as it's wilted and tender, drain and run under cold water. When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess water. If you have used whole spinach with long stems, roughly chop it; you should have 1 1/2 cups of chopped spinach.
• Finely mince the fennel and onion. Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and glaze it with the olive oil. Add the fennel, onion, garlic and a few pinches of salt, and cook until the onion is translucent; you don't want it to brown. Add the flour and stir. When the flour has gathered up all the onion mixture, add the Herbsaint and bring to a boil. Let it reduce by half before stirring in the milk to make a bechamel. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook at a low simmer until the sauce thickens to the point where it coats the back of a spoon, and where drawing your finger down the spoon leaves a clear line.
• Pour half of the bechamel into a blender along with 1/2 cup of the spinach. Blend until completely smooth. Add the remaining spinach to the pan with the remaining bechamel, then add the spinach puree. Heat, stirring, and season with salt and pepper. Finish by stirring in the butter, nutmeg and Parmesan.