"That stain does not wash off," she said. "I did not want to go to the contest with stained hands," she said.
A devotee of cooked oysters, Hardin was shy until recently about eating raw oysters. "I did not have the nerve," she said.
But two years ago, Hardin took the plunge. "I figured it was now or never, my version of sky-diving," she said. "Now I love raw oysters."
The other night, I made Hardin's oyster tacos. Keeping her admonition in mind, I did not let the floured oysters linger very long in the hot oil. The house ended up smelling like fried oysters, not a bad aroma for a Maryland domicile. The slaw gave the dish a pleasing crunchy texture, and the chipotle mayo had a surprising smoky, bacon flavor. Bacon and oysters are always a happy pairing. This recipe is a keeper.
To get a cookbook with the winning oyster recipes send $8 to National Oyster Cook-Off, P.O. Box 653 D.E.C.D., Leonardtown 20650
Jackie Hardin's Oyster Tacos With Chipotle Cream
Serves 4 (2 tacos per serving)
1
pint oysters, select
1/2
cup flour
1/4
cup fine yellow corn meal
salt and pepper to taste
2
eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
8
flour tortillas
8
ounce bag cole slaw
1
cup mayonnaise
2-4
minced chipotle chili peppers in adobe sauce
lime wedges and cilantro for garnish
1/2
cup oil for frying
Heat oven to 250 degrees. Blend mayonnaise and chili peppers; set aside. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven.
Prepare fried oysters. Combine flour, corn meal, salt and pepper in a bowl. Drain oysters, Dip each oyster in beaten egg, then in flour mixture. Heat in 2-3 inches of oil to 375 degrees in frying pan. Fry oysters, a few at a time, until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Do not overcook.
When all oysters are cooked, remove tortillas from oven. On each tortilla, spoon on chipotle mixture, cole slaw and top with fried oysters. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.
Nutrition information
Per serving: 920 calories, 68 grams fat, 10 grams saturated fat, 19 grams protein, 55 gram carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 188 milligrams cholesterol, 920 milligrams sodium
