Crisp Oyster Tempura with Nori Salt and Lime Aioli

⏱ 45 min · Serves 4

Plump oysters in a shatteringly light, ice-cold tempura batter, showered with smoky nori salt and dunked into a sharp, garlicky lime aioli. It's the sea in three bites — the kind of starter that makes people go quiet for a second, then reach for another.

Per serving: 486 kcal · 14.0g protein · 29.0g carbs · 34.0g fat

Ingredients

• 24 fresh oysters, shucked (reserve deep shells for serving)
• 100g plain flour
• 50g cornflour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 220ml ice-cold sparkling water
• 1 large egg yolk, chilled
• 1.5 litres neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed), for frying
• 2 tbsp plain flour, extra, for dusting
• 2 sheets nori
• 2 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1/4 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 large egg yolk (room temperature), for aioli
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 150ml light olive oil or rapeseed oil
• Zest of 1 lime plus 2 tbsp lime juice
• Pinch of caster sugar
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
• Handful of rock salt or crushed ice, for plating

Method

1. Make the nori salt: toast the nori sheets briefly over a low gas flame or in a dry pan for 20–30 seconds a side until crisp and fragrant. Cool, then blitz or crumble to a coarse powder and mix with the flaky salt and sesame seeds. Set aside.
2. Make the lime aioli: whisk the room-temperature egg yolk with the garlic, Dijon and a pinch of salt. Drizzle in the oil drop by drop at first, whisking constantly, then in a thin steady stream until thick and glossy. Whisk in the lime juice, zest and sugar. Taste, adjust salt, and chill.
3. Drain the shucked oysters on kitchen paper — they must be as dry as possible. Scrub and dry the deep shells if serving in them.
4. Heat the frying oil to 180°C in a deep, heavy pan (no more than a third full).
5. Just before frying, make the batter: whisk the chilled egg yolk into the ice-cold sparkling water, then tip in the flour, cornflour and baking powder. Stir with chopsticks just 5–6 strokes — lumps are good, overmixing is not. Keep the bowl sitting in ice water.
6. Dust the oysters lightly in the extra flour, shake off the excess, then dip into the batter, letting the surplus drip away.
7. Fry 5–6 oysters at a time for 60–90 seconds, until pale gold and crisp — they should barely colour. Lift out with a spider onto a wire rack. Let the oil come back to 180°C between batches.
8. Season the hot tempura immediately with the nori salt.
9. Set the shells on a bed of rock salt or crushed ice, spoon a little lime aioli into each, top with an oyster and finish with a last pinch of nori salt. Serve at once with lime wedges.