Chasing inedible carp takes my mind to fish which then drifts to seafood which takes me back to Tokyo. One of my favorites there is called Kaki Fry - fresh oysters kinda panko breaded, fried, and eaten with tartar sauce. Have fond memories of feasting on them there, especially in the fall season. So, back to the net.
Hama Hama is a chill outfit that'll deliver fresh oysters by FedEx. Unfortunately, quite a few folks have the same idea, so summoned courage and headed out onto the Phoenix 500 raceway to find some. Finally track down a fresh shipment at a place called Lee Lee, and the dude kindly hand picks a dozen just arrived big live ones for me. Perfect.
Grab an oyster knife on the way home with the brain again out in front of the present after watching a video of the Hama Hama dude shucking them each in a few secs. Get back to the hovel, grab an oyster, and find out that the oyster like any other asserts its will to live. And the bigger the oyster the bigger the hinge muscles and stronger the will. To make long story short, after an hour of bashing oysters with shell bits all over the kitchen, finally got four open intact, kept my fingers, and called it a draw while ahead. I'd free the remaining survivors back into the sea if I could, but in Scottsdale Arizona, the only hospice for oysters is the freezer. Sorry about that. Won't do that again.
From there, it got easy. Watched Francis tell me how in the video, fried 'em up and chowed down. They were awesome.
If you've been to Tokyo and dig the local grub, check out Cooking With Dog for Kaki Fry and other homestyle recipes on YouTube. Don't forget the tartar sauce. In the states, Kraft fits best.
(via Jiro on iPhone)