Ingredients
- 3 lemons
- 3 cups water
- 2½ cups sugar
- 1 cup multi-purpose flour (for glutenfree option, use Thomas Keller’s Cup 4 Cup rice flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3-6 ounces of milk
- 1 pint oysters (liquor drained)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- Chopped parsley
- Capers
- ¼ cup cream
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ pound (2 sticks) cold salted butter, cubed
- Black pepper to taste
Preparation
Make the Candied Lemon Peel. Peel 3 lemons and slice peels into thin strips. In a medium pot, boil 2 cups of water and add lemon peel. After 1-2 minutes, remove peel slices. Repeat twice to remove bitterness of peel. In a medium pan, add 1 cup water and whisk in 2 cups sugar until dissolved. Add peel slices and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to simmer until the peels are tender and translucent, about 10-15 minutes. Drain peel slices and let cool on a rack or parchment paper. In a bowl, toss peel slices with 1/2 cup sugar. Gently remove peel slices one at a time, gently shaking each to remove excess sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to several weeks.
Make the Fritters. Heat oven to 375°. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl until blended. Add eggs and milk and whisk until blended. Add more milk if needed to make a thick, pourable batter. Gently fold in oysters. In a large frying pan, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat until rippling. Using a large ladle, add one scoop of batter to the pan. Reduce heat to medium. When bottom of fritter has browned, gently flip using a spatula and fork. Move frying pan to oven for about 3 minutes then move fritter to a plate and cover with foil. Repeat steps with remaining batter. When done, turn oven to lowest temperature and insert the fritters.
Make the Lemon Butter Sauce. In a saucepan, whisk cream and lemon juice. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium heat and slowly add butter. Keep whisking until sauce thickens. Use an immersion blender or a regular blender for thicker consistency.
To plate, spoon lemon butter sauce onto bottom of an oven-warmed plate. Add one fritter. Top with additional sauce, chopped parsley, capers, and candied lemon peel. Options: Add sautéed mushrooms or diced country ham to the fritter batter. Or add a fried egg on top of finished fritter.