This is a great recipe for the Super Bowl party! Bring out the cold beers and serve these open-faced with long forks and Tabasco on the side. Everyone can fork a fried oyster and tear away the bread to soak up the buttery goodness!


Ingredients:
2 large, fresh-baked crusty French rolls (approx. 8 by 4)
4 oz. butter, softened
1 pint fresh oysters, rinsed and drained
1 or 2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups fine saltine cracker crumbs
2 tsp. black pepper, or more to your taste
vegetable oil for frying
approx. 1/4 cup Tabasco sauce
Lemon wedges from three lemons or ? cup lemon juice


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut a large lid in the top of each French roll, remove it and scoop out the inside of the roll, leaving about a 1 inch shell inside the roll and on the lid. Use a brush or the back of a spoon to spread the softened butter all over the insides of the rolls and on the underside of the lids.

Place rolls, hollowed-out side down, on a cookie sheet. Place lids buttered side down on the same cookie sheet. Put the rolls and lids in the hot oven for 5-8 minutes, or until they begin to get crispy but BEFORE they begin the brown. Remove rolls from oven and turn it down to 300 degrees.

Pat dry the oysters. Begin heating vegetable oil in a heavy skillet. One at a time, dip the oysters in beaten egg, then in a mixture of the cracker crumbs and black pepper.

Fry oysters (only four at a time) until they are light golden brown and crispy, turning and frying for a total of 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat (too many oysters in pan brings down temperature of the fat and makes them soggy) until all your oysters are draining on paper towels.

To assemble the sandwiches:

Put (four) fried oysters in the bottom of each of the French rolls.

Sprinkle them with Tabasco sauce to your taste.

Next, divide the remaining fried oysters evenly and pile them in! You want to fill the roll but still have the ability to close the ?lid? snugly on top.

Sprinkle these with lemon juice and maybe, more Tabasco then, put on the lid.

Wrap entire loaf tightly in aluminum foil and keep warm in a low oven. Serve individually or on a large platter for group consumption! These are great winter "sharing" sandwiches.