Some friends of ours went absolutely nuts when we were on holiday in Phuket, Thailand. No, not because of the beaches or the shopping, though Phuket is a beautiful beach resort with great shopping to boot.

They couldn’t wait to taste the fresh oysters! The oysters are served on their shells. You squeeze some lemon/lime juice all over and just gulp them down RAW!! I didn’t try it, it freaked me out.

But I like oysters in egg omelette which is the only kind I’ve tried. This recipe of holiday oysters with cocktail sauce sounds like something I might like though.

You need:

• 1 pint shucked oysters (30 to 48 per pint)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup cracker meal (or crushed crackers)
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 2 tablespoons butter (optional)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• CrabPlace.com cocktail sauce
• Lemon wedges

Prepare the oysters. Combine the flour and cracker meal and dredge the oysters in the mixture. Let the oysters sit, refrigerated, for 20 minutes.

Heat the oil to about 350 degrees on medium heat. Add in the optional butter. Fry the oysters until crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. The oysters are done when they’re golden brown and crispy.

Transfer the fried oysters to a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle sea salt to taste and serve hot with spicy cocktail sauce and lemon wedges. This makes 6 to 8 servings.

How to clean fresh oysters:

Scrub the oysters and place them in a large bowl. Make sure to discard all broken shells or oysters that won’t close. Fill the bowl with enough cold water to cover the oysters.

Shake in the cornmeal and stir. Let the oysters sit for 3 to 6 hours, to let them purge any sand. Remove the oysters from the water and rinse thoroughly.

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