Lunch At The Hawthornes. Broiled Oysters, Fried Oysters. Soft Shells.

Mr. Hawthorne loves his fried oysters and soft shells so that's what we're having for lunch today.

But first, my broiled oysters:

For the topping: 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup paprika 1/4 cup sugar I scaled down since we didn't have that many oysters.

Oops. I used hot paprika. I don't recommend hot paprika. It overpowers the oysters. Use regular paprika. Or pappereekah as certain Food Network "personalities" call it. I was wondering why my oysters weren't as wonderful as usual. Besides not being grilled, I used the hot paprika. Don't do it. I didn't realize that until I uploaded my pictures. Note to self: Self, read the labels.

Mix well.

I shucked my oysters and melted some butter.

First, drizzle some melted butter over top of each oyster.

Then top with the Parmesan mixture.

Ready for the broiler.

Why not a few torn pieces of parsley?

Now I'm ready for the broiler.

About 4 minutes at 375 degrees. Watch carefully. While I was doing the broiled oysters, Mr. Hawthorne pulled out a couple of soft shells from the freezer to let thaw and shucked a bunch of oysters.

His batter is very simple: 1 1/2 cups flour 1 cup fine yellow corn meal (We use Goya Harina de Maiz, Amarilla Fina.) 1 TB Old Bay seasoning

Soft shells take about 3 minutes to fry. Oysters about a minute.

Nice and crispy. I lurves me some soft shells. Spiders of the sea.

And if you're lucky,

you'll get some baby crabs in with the oysters. That's what those two little pink balls are.

This is the jicama slaw I made the other day which Mr. Hawthorne doctored. Mr. Hawthorne is a purist. He doesn't want anybody messing with his cole slaw or his potato salad. So when I made jicama slaw, he thought it was weird. He drained my dressing out. I think he probably rinsed the slaw. Then he added his beloved mayo. Apparently slaw is not slaw if there ain't mayonnaise in it. When tasting his "improved" version, he decided he liked it. And he also liked the hint of the lingering flavors of my dressing. And here's our lunch:

Ideally, these Parmesan/paprika oysters should be grilled. The grilling imparts a much better flavor than broiling, but it was raining so I opted for staying dry.

A little tartar sauce and remoulade sauce and lemon and that's some good eats.