Oscars Party: "Beasts of the Southern Wild" Inspired Fried Oysters with Spicy Remoulade

The Academy Awards are this Sunday, and it is a fantastic opportunity to throw a party. My goal this year was to watch as many movies as possible on the nominee list, so I actually follow the show rather than the red carpet (Though I'm dying to see the dresses, especially what Jennifer Lawrence comes up with...). I know I won't get too far on the foreign language, or the documentary list, but there is no reason I shouldn't see the Top 10 movies of 2012. My friends and I are doing ballots this year, so there's more on the line. We each bring a bottle of liquor, and the winner gets to take all of them home at the end of the night. I still haven't made my pick for most of them, so I feel like it's going to be a decision I make on a whim.



So let's talk about the nominated movies. I would like to start out with the movie that moved me the most this year..."Beasts of the Southern Wild". I won't try to describe the movie, because it's one of those things you have to experience for yourself. All I can say is, it is a beautiful movie about enjoying life under the most dire circumstances; about the perseverance of human spirit and essentially about the importance of freedom. The star of the movie is the 6-year old heroine Hushpuppy. I was blown away by her performance. The father-daughter relationship depicted is so genuine; his struggle to teach her to be strong and self-sufficient, and her stubbornness combined with her love for her father is so touching.

The movie is set in the "Bathtub"-a low-lying area below the levees in Louisiana, that offers no protection from hurricanes and storms. They eat a lot of shellfish in the movie, and thinking of Louisiana culture I immediately knew I wanted to make a fried seafood dish. Oysters always remind me of New Orleans, so I decided on a fried oyster dish with a spicy remoulade. There is a scene in the movie where they are eating crabs, and Hushpuppy is being taught how to remove the meat from the shell with a knife. When Wink, her father, catches her, he is furious and dares her to "Beast it"; meaning break it open with her hands and suck the meat out. She succeeds at "beasting it", gets up on the table, and flexes her bicep muscles. The satisfaction on her face of cracking open the crab, and more importantly becoming a beast is priceless. At first I was going to make mini sliders to serve the oysters in, but remembering that scene, I knew I didn't want a pretty dish. The greasy and crispy fresh oysters with the kind of messy spicy sauce dripping down would be a perfect meal for the little beast, don't you think?

Fried Oysters with Spicy Remoulade

(Slightly Adapted from Emeril and Tyler Florence)

Ingredients:

Oysters:

Shucked Oysters-about 10-12 (I bought them already shucked and cleaned in a container from the fish monger. Keep the container on a bed of ice in the fridge until you are ready to eat).
1 cup of Buttermilk
1 cup of Crushed Pretzels (I put pretzel sticks in the food processor)
1 tablespoon Lemon and Pepper Seasoning (I used McCormick. You can also make your own buy combining salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon zest)
Vegetable oil for frying

Remoulade:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Drain the oysters and place them in a bowl with the buttermilk. Cover and let sit in the fridge while you make the remoulade.

Combine all the ingredients for the remoulade, and place in the fridge to chill.

Lay out the crushed pretzels in a bowl, and combine with the lemon pepper seasoning. Remove the oysters from the fridge. One by one, drain and place in the bowl with the crushed pretzels to coat.

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan. Depending on the size of your pan, put enough oil to come up the sides of the oysters, at least 1/2 inch. Test the oil with a piece of the pretzel coating. If it comes up to the top slowly and browns, the oil is ready. If it sinks to the bottom, it is not hot enough. If it comes up to the top immediately and burns, it is too hot.

Put the oysters in the pan. Make sure you only put a few at a time, and don't overcrowd them. Fry them for about 2 minutes on each side, until they are crispy and browned. Make sure you watch them, as they will burn quickly.

Serve them on a platter, with the sauce drizzled on top.