We started off the Cajun – Japanese night with some panko fried oysters and remoulade. I actually made two variations: one came straight out of this cookbook and the second one I made with sriracha. Both were very good and we used it for the plate of sashimi that came later on.

The most painful part is shucking the oysters…man, I forgot how much I hate doing it. Here are a few tips:

1. You’ll need an oyster knife with a pointy end like the one in the picture.

2. Hold the oyster firmly in one hand with a kitchen towel and slip the knife blade in the hinge on the back.

3. Run the knife around the oyster and with twisting motion and pop it open.

For the aperitif, we made Negronis: a perfect combination of gin, sweet vermouth and bitter Campari. The recipe came from here.

Recipe

Fried Oysters

yield: 3 dozen

3 dozen raw oysters

2 cups panko

eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt

oil, enough to give you a depth of 1 inch in the pan

1.  Blend the panko and the salt in one dish and in a second dish add two lightly beaten eggs. You can add more eggs if you need them.

2. Heat oil in the frying skillet to 375ºF. Roll the oysters in the egg and then the panko and fry in the oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with remoulade.

Remoulade

The original recipe calls for creole mustard. Since I knew I wasn’t going to find it in any supermarket I made my own.

1 cup canola oil

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon paprika

3/4 cup dijon mustard

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

tabasco sauce, to taste

1/2 bunch minced chives

1. Whisk the oil, vinegar, salt, cayenne and paprika together in a bowl. In another bowl make your creole mustard: blend mustard, worcestershire sauce and tabasco sauce to taste. Add the creole mustard to the oil mix and whisk to combine. Add the chives.

Negroni

1.25 oz Gin

1.25 oz Campari

1.25 oz Sweet Vermouth

Orange twist

1. Stir with ice and strain over ice in a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.