Brochettes d’Huîtres Lucifer

Brochettes d’Huîtres Lucifer (mustarded fried oyster skewers) teach one uncompromising thing: the oysters must be dry before they're coated. An oyster wet with its own liquor cannot hold mustard, flour, egg, and crumbs; the crust slides away in the fat while the oyster overcooks beneath it.

The original kitchen assumed a poissonnier opening and trimming oysters, Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) already prepared, and a fryer held fiercely hot through service. At home, use 24 plump local oysters, four short skewers, a small pot of oil, and a thermometer. The dedicated station and extra hands are brigade scaffolding, so they go. Poaching in the oysters' own liquor, thin mustard, six oysters per skewer, the coating à l’anglaise, and last-moment frying are the dish, so every one stays. One cook, one stove, one evening.

Blot each poached oyster until the towel comes away nearly clean, then wait to fry until everyone is ready to eat. If the coating slips, stop and rebuild that patch rather than sending it bare into the oil. Ça se rattrape. Drying is the step that decides the dish.