Deep-Fried Oysters 酥炸生蠔 (sū zhà shēng haó) originated in Chaoshan, Guangdong. Chaoshan is famous for their seafood dishes. Chaoshan cuisine is part of Chaozhou cuisine which falls under the larger category of Cantonese cuisine. This dish is a close relative to the Deep-Fried Oyster Pancake which is one of my most favorite things to eat (you can find that recipe here)! Deep-Fried Oysters 酥炸生蠔 is a close second! Actually, Deep-Fried Oysters with Salt and Chili is the close second!! I put both these recipes together here so you can choose whichever one you’d like to try.
Oysters in Chinese is 蠔 haó or 牡蠣 mǔ lì. They’ve been used in Chinese cooking since forever. Chaozhou and Fujian people seem to love it the most. It’s added to many common dishes like congee, soup noodles, fried egg, savory pancakes and on its own. There are also dry forms of it which is used in braising. I’m not a fan of dried oysters but I love all the other ones. Steamed oysters in the shell, raw oysters and fried oysters are all my favorites. My mom loves them too. My sister and my son don’t like them. But to my surprise when I made Deep-Fried Oysters 酥炸生蠔, both of them said they like oysters now! I thought Mom and I could pig out on them ourselves, but we had to share…
Just kidding. There are around 15 medium oysters in a 32oz tub, so there were plenty for everyone!
Deep-Fried Oysters 酥炸生蠔 are so good because of texture. The outside is crunchy without being hard and the inside is soft without being mushy. Add to that some salt and pepper in the batter that envelopes the oyster, mmmmmmmm! Take it one step further and toss them in a salt and chili dry mix. Yummmmmm!
In my Deep-Fried Oysters 酥炸生蠔 recipe, I’ll show you how to make a batter that is crunchy, light, crispy, and tasty with a golden yellow colour to it. You can use this batter for any kind of seafood or vegetable. It can make anything taste super good!
Craving more deep-fried food? These Crispy Chili Garlic Chicken Wings 椒鹽酥炸雞 are my family's favorite! Deep-fried foods will definitely increase your body’s “heatiness” as per Chinese herbology. My Apple Fig Tea 蘋果無花果茶 recipe would be the perfect companion.
I highly recommend an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the oil at an instant. Controlling the temperature of the oil can give you perfect results each time. My mom taught me to use a wooden chopstick to check when oil is ready for cooking. While this method works for some applications, there is still guesswork and luck involved. When I’m spending $7 per pound on chicken wings, I don’t like to guess! If you’re interested, check out the one I got from Amazon.
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Deep-Fried Oysters 酥炸生蠔
Ingredients
- 32 oz Shucked oysters (approx. 15 medium-sized oysters)
- 2 tbsp Corn starch for cleaning oysters
- 3 tbsp Corn starch for coating oysters before dipping in batter
- 150 g Cake flour
- 50 g Corn starch
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp White pepper powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder (optional)
- 275 ml Cold water (icy cold)
- 2 tbsp Oil for batter
- 1 L Oil for frying
Additional Ingredients for Deep-Fried Oysters with Salt and Chili:
- 1 tbsp Red chilies , chopped
- 1 tbsp Green chilies , chopped
- 1 tbsp Garlic , chopped (approx. 3 cloves)
- 2 stalks Green onions , chopped
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Chicken broth powder
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- ¼ tsp White pepper powder
- ¾ tsp Sugar
Instructions
- Make batter by combining 150 g cake flour, 50 g corn starch, ½ tsp baking powder, ⅛ tsp ground black pepper, ⅛ tsp white pepper powder, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp turmeric powder.
Turmeric is optional, but it gives a really nice golden colour to the oysters 
- Add icy cold water a little at a time and gently mix together using a slow motion so that the glutens don’t form bonds. Mix until the batter is smooth and thick but not doughy. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes
Depending on the flour, the amount of water may vary. So add a bit at a time until it is thick but runny enough to be poured. I added 275 ml of icy cold water to mine - Rinse oysters with water. Place oysters in a bowl, add 2 tbsp corn starch, mix gently and let it sit for 5 minutes
- Rinse each oyster gently and try to remove any impurities with your fingers.
- Use a spoon to gently scratch off black rims on the oyster
- Put into colander to dry
- After the batter has chilled in the fridge for 30 minutes, add 1 ½ tbsp of oil into the batter and mix gently until well mixed
- Dry the oysters with paper towels
- Heat 1 L of oil in a wok, pot or deep fryer until the oil is approx. 160˚C or 325˚F (if using wooden chopsticks to test oil, it’s when little bubbles form around the chopstick)
- Coat each oyster with a light coat of corn starch so that the batter will better adhere to the oyster
- Dip the oyster into the batter, completely covering it and then place it into the oil. Do not overcrowd the pot as the batter may stick to each other
Oysters should be at room temperature when ready to fry - Fry each oyster for approx. 3 minutes until the batter turns a light golden colour
- Remove the oysters from the oil and place on cooling rack
Oysters are not ready to eat, they need to be fried one more time - Increase the heat and heat the oil to 200˚C or 400˚F. Put the oysters back into the oil and fry for approx. 1 minute until they become golden in colour
- Serve on their own, with oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt or sweet chili sauce
Continue if you’re making Deep-Fried Oysters with Salt and Chili
- Combine 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp chicken broth powder, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp white pepper powder and ¾ tsp sugar. Mix well and set aside
- Heat wok to medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp oil from deep-frying the oysters
- Add chopped green onions and garlic to the wok and stir-fry until aromatic
- Add chilis and mix together
- Add combined seasoning powder and mix together well
- Add deep-fried oysters to the wok and toss gently until the salt and chili adheres to the oysters. Should take approx. 20 seconds Taking too long for this process could cause the oysters to lose its crispiness
- Serve
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