Posted by The Baltimore Sun, MD on October 28, 2009 at 09:44:28:
Love of oysters, food shows lead to winning recipe entry
Rob Kasper
October 28, 2009
Like a lot of people raised on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Jackie Hardin is a fancier of oysters.
Growing up in Kent County, she became fond of oyster stew, steamed oysters and fried oysters.
So when she heard about a cooking contest in Leonardtown that awarded prizes for dishes featuring the bivalve, she gave it a try.
Her idea was to put fried oysters in a flour tortilla, nestle in some cole slaw and add dollops of chipotle mayonnaise.
It is an idea she picked up from watching food shows on television.
"They cook a lot of fish tacos, especially out West," Hardin told me. "So I just made the transition from fish tacos to oysters."
Her dish ended up winning that contest in Leonardtown, officially known as the National Oyster Cook-Off, held recently on the rain-soaked grounds of the St. Mary's County Fairgrounds. Garnering both the grand prize and the top spot for main dishes, Hardin picked up a check for $1,300 and a silver tray.
Speaking by phone from her Kent County home a few days after the contest, Hardin said she was still somewhat overwhelmed by her victory.
"As I was cooking, I saw these oyster sliders with sweet sauce, and a baked oyster and butternut squash casserole," she said, referring to other entries in the competition. "And I had a taco with cabbage and chipotle mayonnaise." She didn't think her dish would win.
"But it is quick and easy, something you can make in 10 to 15 minutes, when you come home at night."
A key, she said, is to cook the oysters quickly in hot oil.
"You get them in and get them out," Hardin said. "You want them tender and plump, but not hard."
As for the oil, Hardin said she melts Crisco, "out of the can."
A self-taught cook, Hardin, 63, said she began cooking at the age of 13. She had planned to try out her oyster recipe on some of her three children and 13 grandchildren. But when one of her grandsons had to go to the hospital because of a mountain biking mishap, she ended up baby-sitting for the boy's siblings and her plans for a big recipe-testing get-together went awry.
She did feed it to her husband, Michael, who gave her thumbs up.
Hardin and her husband are gourd artists, painting and decorating many of the gourds they grow on their farm. Their business in Galena is called Barefoot Gourds.
As part of her preparation for the cooking contest, Hardin abstained for a week from painting the gourds.
"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
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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 the 250 degree 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.
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
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