Labour Weekend is nearly here – and that means family, friends and…feasting
Celebrate Labour Weekend the way you deserve – with the finest Mahurangi Oysters! Reward your labours with something special. Our fresh, locally harvested oysters always go down a treat. So, spoil yourselves, support local, and enjoy the best this Labour Weekend.
Oyster tacos
This recipe is about how to feed the crew great food without the drama. And because more people usually rock up than you’ve been warned about, this recipe also lets you stretch out your oysters without stretching your patience.
Oyster tacos – your building blocks
Citrus salsa
Citrus salsa is a great pairing in fried oyster tacos. Blood oranges make for a great salsa, but they are not in season around Labour Weekend, so this recipe uses grapefruit, oranges, and lime combined with red onion, jalapeño (or chilis – you can even use sweet chilli sauce), and fresh coriander. If you can get your hands on pink grapefruit, they look really pretty, but don’t worry if you can’t.
Fried oysters
Most commonly, you’ll find deep fried oysters used in taco recipes. However, when I’m in charge, I don’t really like deep frying. Apart from all the health reasons that we’ve all heard about, I just find it a bit of a hassle and it requires a lot of attention, which can be very tricky when there is a crowd in the house.
I use an air fryer. Easy! It is also more common to find deep-fried oysters coated in cornmeal. However, I prefer the texture of panko breadcrumbs.
Slaw
Combine shredded cabbage grated and carrots in a small bowl. Add half of the citrus salsa to the mixture. Then, add more lime to the remaining mixture to thin out the dressing so you can and spoon it on top of the tacos.
Tacos
I prefer the smaller, soft tacos. I tend to have more trouble eating the crunchier taco shells without making a huge mess, even though they are delicious.
Oyster Taco Citrus Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 grapefruit segmented and chopped
- 2 juicy oranges segmented and chopped
- 1 lime segmented and chopped
- 1/3 cup finely diced red onion about ¼ of a large onion
- 1 finely diced jalapeño seeds removed
- ¼ cup chopped coriander
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine chopped grapefruit, orange, and lime. Stir in red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and salt until ingredients are combined.
Deep Fried Oysters
Ingredients
- 2 dozen fresh Mahurangi oysters shucked
- ½ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Heat air fryer to about 200oc.
- Add flour, salt, and black pepper to a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add egg to another small bowl.
- Place panko breadcrumbs in another small bowl.
- Dredge each oyster on both sides in flour, then egg, and finally panko breadcrumbs.
- Spray the air fryer basket with a thin layer of oil.
- Place the oysters in the basket in a single layer. Cook on one side for 3-4 minutes. Flip oysters and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Cook in batches until all are done.
If you’re got medium-sized oysters, allow two per taco. However, one would be sufficient if the oysters are large, and the crowd keeps growing, or demanding.
For the taco filling use cabbage and then top with avocado, radishes, lime wedges, a spoonful of citrus salsa and coriander. Be careful though, an overstuffed taco will rip apart and could end in tears.
The oyster of choice
Thanks to our careful husbandry and intelligent market selection, our plump Pacific oysters have become the oyster of choice in the Auckland restaurant scene and are exported in large numbers to Pacific Rim countries.
Feel free to contact us directly should you want more information. As a family business, we are very proud of what we produce and sell – and we only sell the best.
