Took a trip recently to Bivalvia – that mystical place so close to home yet so far away….. also known as Hood Canal. It was raining so hard this time that I couldn’t even snap a quick smartphone photo. Good news is that some of my most favorite snapshots are from the same location we visited last year for bivalve round up. Upcycling posts for the win! Here is our time tested recipe for the best fried oysters.

Cornmeal Fried Oysters with Dijon Pear Sauce

• 2 eggs for beaten egg wash
  
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup of cornmeal
  
• Salt, pepper
  
• 1-2 tsp of paprika
  
• Fresh oysters
  
• Canola oil for frying
  

Mix together the dry ingredients. You could add other herbs at this point if you wanted too. Whisk eggs in separate bowl for wash. Heat up oil on medium high heat. You don’t need a deep pot of oil, just about a ½ inch. Dip the oysters (after rinsing and patting dry) in egg, then dredge in flour mixture then into the frying pan. Cook for a few minutes then turn over to cook the other side. Keep rotating until a nice brown forms and you figure out how long it took to get there. Don’t cram the pan with oysters as it will cool the oil down. When fried up, place on a paper towel to drain and then enjoy!

Most beaches won’t let you takes oysters in the shells, as the oysters will re-populate the discarded shells. If you can’t eat the oysters the same day you harvest them, store in their own brine in a zip lock bag in the coldest part of your refrigerator and plan to use within a day or so.

Dijon Pear Sauce

• 2 T Dijon mustard
  
• 1 T Pear jam (I canned it!)
  
• ½ cup Yogurt
  

Mix all the ingredients together. Taste it and adjust by adding more of one thing or the other. You could use other jams as well like a marmalade or even a berry.