Deep fried oysters is a dish that I always associate with and serve during Chinese New Year. For as far back as I can remember, my parents made this dish every Chinese New Year holiday. Or maybe it’s just that I love these deep fried oysters so much that I only remember the celebrations where they were served!
Oysters for Chinese New Year
In the weeks preceding the Lunar New Year, you’ll find that shucked oysters are always plentiful at Chinese grocery stores, as families are stocking up on all of the traditional and favorite foods served during this hectic and happy time for families around the world.
Deep fried oysters are definitely a real treat worthy of the new year. Crunchy on the outside and so flavorful on the inside, fried oysters are just plain delicious.
Personally (and I’m sure this will be controversial), I think cooking or frying oysters brings out the true flavor of this shellfish more so than eating them raw, which seems more common and popular in the US and other western countries.
Another Symbolic Addition
But of course, as with any Chinese New Year dish, it’s never just a simple “deep fried oyster.” The oysters are served on a thin bed of lettuce, not just because it makes for a refreshing addition to any fried food, but because it’s a very popular Chinese New Year vegetable!
You might even say it’s a must-have ingredient for your Chinese New Year’s feast. Why? Well, lettuce or sheng cài 生菜 in Mandarin has the Chinese word “sheng 生,” which means “life” or “to live,” and it’s always an auspicious symbol to kick off the lunar new year.
But more importantly, sheng also means “to grow” and when combined with the word “lettuce,” sheng cái 生财 or to grow wealth is obviously even more auspicious!
However you interpret it, this dish has the goodness and richness of the deep fried oysters and the symbolic translation of the dish is basically, good life and grow wealth!
Maybe it’s a stretch, but we Chinese love our symbolic Chinese New Year foods. If you’re looking for other auspicious oyster dishes and obscure phonetic-based symbolism, check out our Dried Oysters with Black Moss, an even more famous Chinese New Year dish.
I hope you enjoy this favorite Chinese New Year dish of mine!
Chinese Fried Oysters Recipe Instructions
Drain the shucked oysters from the plastic container, and give them a gentle rinse with cold water. The oysters are very delicate, so be careful handling them. Place the oysters in a colander, and let the excess water drain for at least 10 minutes.
Prepare the batter by mixing ¾ cup flour, the baking powder, ground white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt until well-combined.
Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a small (to save oil) but deep pot (to prevent splattering). Check the oil temperature with a candy or oil thermometer for accuracy.
Right before you’re ready to fry the oysters, add the cold seltzer. It makes for a crispier oyster. Mix until your batter is smooth (a few small lumps here and there is fine). Then, mix in the sesame oil.
After the oysters have drained, lightly pat each of them dry with a paper towel, and dredge each oyster lightly with flour. I know it’s tempting to dredge all of the oysters at once in a glob. However, it’s best to dredge each oyster individually just before you batter and fry them to ensure they are fully and evenly coated.
After dredging, dip each oyster into the batter so it is fully coated.
Lift them out of the batter carefully–you can use the edge of the bowl to scrape off excess batter if needed.
Now you’re ready to deep fry the oysters. Check the temperature of the oil again with your thermometer. As you are frying, you should adjust the heat to maintain a temperature between 325 degrees F and 350 degrees F, because the oil will cool quickly as you drop in the battered oysters and then quickly heat again as they cook.
Lower the oyster halfway into the oil and slowly swirl it for 2 or 3 seconds so the batter cooks slightly. Then drop it into the oil. This process prevents the oyster from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Fry the oysters in batches, depending upon the size of your pot and the amount of oil you are using. For this recipe, we fried oysters in batches of 3 or 4 depending upon their size.
Use a slotted spoon to lift the oysters out when they are golden brown and transfer them to a metal cooling rack to drain. Repeat until all the oysters have been fried.
Now you can make the dipping sauce. In a small saucepan, add the ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt, sugar, and cornstarch slurry and heat to a simmer. You can adjust the flavor by either adding vinegar to make it more tart, adding sugar if you like it sweeter, or adding more cornstarch and water if you like it thicker.
It’s best to serve these immediately. However, if you are like us on Chinese New Year, you are preparing many dishes at the same time. It’s inevitable that these won’t get eaten immediately!
So just before serving, you can reheat your oil to 375 degrees F, and drop the oysters in 3 or 4 at a time, frying them for 30 seconds or until they are crisp again. Alternatively, you can heat them in a toaster oven at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Serve these deep fried oysters on a bed of iceberg lettuce, and garnish with chopped scallions. The dipping sauce should be served warm, so reheat your dipping sauce if needed.
You’ll have happy guests if you serve these deep fried oysters for Chinese New Year dinner. You can tell them about all of the goodness “hou” or “hao” in the oyster, and the good life they will reap with the “sheng cai” or “saung choy” lettuce!
Happy Lunar New Year, everyone!
