Ingredients:

for the oysters:
2 pints oysters
1 1/3 cup self-rising cornmeal mix
2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup Old Bay (low sodium okay)
canola oil for frying

for the Old Bay remoulade:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons dill relish
1 teaspoon Old Bay
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (powder)
juice of 1/2 lemon

to serve:
sub rolls (I used  Amoroso’s club sized rolls)
sliced tomato
shredded iceberg lettuce

Directions:

For the oysters:

Heat 1-2 inches of canola oil in large, heavy-bottomed skillet. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the cornmeal mix and Old Bay. Do not add extra salt! Dredge the oysters in the mixture to thoroughly coat. Fry oysters in the oil, for about 4 minutes on each side, depending on size. Drain on paper towel-lined plates

For the remoulade: (can be made a day ahead)

Place all ingredients in a small bowl, mix together with a fork.

Assembly:

Spread the remoulade on both sides of each roll, top with lettuce. Line the roll with tomato slices and fill with oysters.

Serves: 4-6

My thoughts:

Oysters have always been a huge part of Baltimore, we had a ton of canneries in the harbor and there were even oyster pirates in the Chesapeake Bay! Local oysters (these were from Virginia) are easy to find locally and are quite affordable.

I love po’boys, especially oyster ones so I thought I’d Baltimore-fy it a bit and add Old Bay because in Baltimore, you just have to add Old Bay to anything to make it “Baltimore-style”. It’s true. We have Old Bay ice cream and candy here.

To make the sandwiches a little easier to eat, I used “club” rolls but you could use a full sized roll. I also used self-rising cornmeal mix which I feel gives the breading a lighter feel somehow. I don’t question it. Between the Old Bay remoulade and the Old Bay batter, these po’boys are super flavorful and dare I say—slightly better than the oyster po’boys that don’t have Old Bay? Sorry, New Orleans! We did give you the snowball so let’s call it even.