This post was made possible thanks to the good folks at Stella Artois. 

Dear friends, we are living in the future. Right now, I can prod at my phone and summon a dozen cold Stella Artois and a dozen freshly shucked oysters to be delivered to my doorstep. The future is awesome.

Beer and oysters are a stunning couple. These oysters come from Te Kouma Bay in the Coromandel and are shucked the morning of delivery. Available in Auckland, only on Fridays until the end of June. Find out how to summon your own tasty dozen by visiting the LK website here. Would also make a great birthday gift or a classy work shout.

Inspired by this lovely beer and oyster pairing, I made these epic beer battered oyster sliders with special sauce. I’ve used brioche slider buns here because they are very soft and a little sweet, contrasting beautifully with the crispy battered oyster. The special sauce is a must for any burger lover. I love this sauce and the human guinea pigs that tried these sliders have also expressed their delight.

While I am no stranger to eating a dozen (or two dozen) freshly shucked oysters on my own, these sliders stretches a dozen fresh oysters to feed four. And of course, if you can’t be bothered with the whole sliders thing, you can totally have beer battered oysters on their own, just follow steps 1 to 3 in the recipe below.

Beer battered oyster sliders

Makes 12 sliders

Ingredients

• 1 dozen fresh oysters
• 1 cup sifted plain flour, plus 1/2 cup for dredging
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 cup very cold Stella Artois
• 1 litre cooking oil
• 12 slider buns, halved and gently toasted
• Special sauce (see recipe below)
• 1/4 iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. To make the batter, in a medium size bowl and mix together the flour, panko, baking powder, salt and smoked paprika. Slowly add 1 cup of beer* whisking until combined. Rest for 10 minutes.
2. Prep the oysters. Work in batches, four oysters at a time. Cut the adductor muscle and work a knife around the oyster, gently removing them from their shells. Release each oyster into a bowl of flour, shake and toss the oysters so they are well coated in flour. Shake excess flour from each oyster and then dip into the batter.
3. Heat 1 litre oil in a saucepan, dutch oven or fryer. The oil is hot when a drop of batter sizzles right away. Carefully place the four oysters into the oil and cook for 2 minutes turning once, until crispy and golden. Drain, place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining oysters. Season with salt and pepper.
4. To assemble sliders, spread special sauce on the inside tops and bottoms of toasted slider buns. To the bottom bun, add a mound of lettuce followed by a beer battered oyster and sliced red onion. Crown with top bun and secure with a bamboo skewer. Serve immediately with an ice cold Stella Artois. Enjoy!

*Don’t let it go to waste! Feel free to drink the remaining beer in the bottle while you prep.

Special sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon white onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon gherkin, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon American mustard
• A dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients in a jar and stir well until combined. 
2. Pop in the lid and refrigerate until required.

This sauce is great with sliders, burgers, fries and even on a wedge of iceberg lettuce.