Which wines would you choose to pair with fried oysters? You might be surprised.
The classic wine pairings for oysters are Muscadet and lighter styled Sauvignon Blancs. Most of the advice on pairing wines with oysters assume raw oysters and the classic pairings are entirely appropriate.
But what if you are planning to bread and fry your oysters? Would these same wines provide an ideal accompaniment? We think not.
Oysters have a certain richness, even when enjoyed in their raw state. When cooked, the richness is enhanced. When dipped in egg and breaded, the richness is increased even more. Then, when the breading becomes browned in hot butter or oil, well..., you get the notion.
Fried oysters are very rich and deeply flavored. They call for rich and deeply flavored wines-not the very light whites recommended for raw oysters.
THE MARRIAGE
We've not seen this recommendation before, but we found that a perfect accompaniment to fried oysters is an unoaked Chardonnay. Even a lightly oaked one would work well. If you are on a budget, try a dry French Vermouth on the rocks. Heresy? Well, we tried it and it was perfectly delightful.
RECIPE
Submerge raw oysters in beaten egg, mixed with a splash of water. Cover with Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or other breading. Refrigerate, if convenient, for a half hour or more to encourage adherence of the crumbs. Then fry in hot butter and oil, about 1-2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Serve with a mayonaisse based sauce (I like aioli-a garlic mayonaisse) and simple accompaniments. Plain white rice is very good here because it won't bring other flavors that might diminish or clash with the rich oyster flavors.
