Oyster Boulettes (Fried Oyster Balls)
Oyster Boulettes (Fried Oyster Balls) is most likely to be found in New Orleans or in Creole country. I cooked Oysters on the Prairies for this week’s theme of Supper Challenge this week “naughty,” since I was unable to locate Prairie Oysters. <Ha! Lucky for my family!> So….we’ll have to go with naughty intent.
Turns out “boulettes” seems to have multiple definitions – meatballs in sauce, small ball, dumpling or now, flavor meatballs. Who would ever think kids would say oyster balls are delicious? <Its not because it was “Fend for Yourself Day” the kids today, I cooked a full breakfast this morning.> It could have been how fresh the oysters are, or how succulent, or how perfectly cooked they are, or the fact that these meatballs have a great dash of Creole flavors. So, flavor balls = oyster boulettes = stuffed with oyster balls.
Oyster Boulettes (Fried Oyster Balls)
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Capers garnish
Oyster Ball Mixture
- tablespoons onion minced fine
- 2 tablespoons celery minced fine
- 2 tablespoons green pepper minced fine
- 2 tablespoons carrot minced fine
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 cup oysters (I used big Fanny Bay oysters) 235 g
- ¾ lb ground pork
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese grated
- 2 small cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons parsley
- ¼ teaspoon Tabasco
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
Flour Mixture
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
Egg Mixture
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 2 large eggs
Breading Mixture
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Dipping Sauce
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon / splash of white wine
- Lemon juice of ¼ lemon
- ½ teaspoon fresh dill
Instructions
- In a small frying pan on medium heat, cook onion. After onion begins to soften, add celery, green pepper and carrot and cook until all are softened. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine cooked onion, celery, green pepper and carrot. Add all oyster ball ingredients to the food processor – rice, oysters, pork, parmesan cheese and seasonings.
- In 3 shallow medium bowls, individually mix ingredients for flour mixture, egg mixture and breading mixture into the bowl.
- Warm a frying pan of vegetable oil for frying.
- Meanwhile, roll oyster ball mixture into 1 inch balls.
- Dredge balls in flour, coat in egg and roll in breading mixture.
- Deep fry until golden brown.
- Mix all items for dipping sauce in small bowl.
- Serve oyster boulettes with dipping sauce and garnish with capers.