Frying Oysters

Another baby step—

Our chef instructor turned to me at a random point during lunch service today and commanded me to fry the oysters. I’ve watched her do this for the past 21 services and it doesn’t appear terribly difficult, but I was caught off guard because she has only allowed Canarrio to do this when she is unable.

The egg white coated and panko-breaded oyster is dropped in the oil for no more than three seconds and given a secondary millisecond dip just for good measure. Sometimes it’s good not to have warning, because it makes you just go for it. I didn’t have any time to think about frying the oyster, so I just did it. She was pleased. She didn’t say anything, but I knew I had done it properly because she allowed me to continue to fry the oysters through the end of service.

The only time I became really terrified was when the sous chef of the restaurant came back to our section of the kitchen and started screaming at me while I was in the middle of frying an order. I put the spider down and started to back away, but our chef instructor pushed me back in front of the stove and I realized, then, that he was actually screaming at her. She had been taking the fried, finished oysters and putting them back on the platter where they had once been raw. I only know this, because Freddy translated for me. (Her quick switch of trays also gave it away.)

I wish I could upload/download how to speak Spanish to my brain-top during one of these siestas.