炸蛎黄 Fried Oyster

牡蛎是海鲜中的隽品，可分为长牡蛎、近江牡蛎和大连湾牡蛎等。大连湾牡蛎个头特大，鲜嫩异常，又被大连人亲切地称为“海蛎子”。大连人对海蛎子的喜爱真是融化在骨血中，说话都是“海蛎子味”。据说大连人一年要吃掉上千万斤海蛎子。在很多大连人的儿时记忆里，岸边的礁石上随处可见海蛎子的身影，随手撬开一个，立刻就能看到里面乳白色的蛎肉，然后和着壳里面的汁水哧溜一声把蛎肉吸进嘴里，又鲜又美，再把蛎壳扔进海里，整个动作一气呵成，是最有代表性的食蛎画面。现在，大连的岸边已经不能轻易见到海蛎子的身影了，不过随便去一个菜市场，就能看到有小商贩现场劐开海蛎子，手指一挑，一个饱满的蛎肉便完整地脱离出来，新鲜多汁。大连人三不五时就要买点儿海蛎子回家解解馋。

大连人烹调海蛎子的方法繁多，生拌着吃，蒸着吃，烤着吃，包饺子吃，不管怎么吃，都是美味！其中一种大连人耳熟能详的吃法不得不提，那就是炸着吃。大连人将这道菜的名字称作“炸蛎黄”。简单来说，这道菜的做法就是将裹着鸡蛋面衣的海蛎子下锅炸。说起来简单，但是要想把海蛎子炸得金黄酥脆，对厨师绝对是一项艰巨的考验。刚炸好的海蛎子，面衣在盘子里吱吱作响。此时品尝炸蛎黄，速度具有重大意义，一定要蘸着椒盐趁热吃。一口咬下去，面衣那脆生生的口感与海蛎子那柔嫩嫩的口感完美融合，瞬间就能征服食客的味蕾。微妙的、浑然一体的香味在口中扩散开去，令人忍不住想一口接一口地往嘴里送。对了，这个时候千万别想跟正在享用炸蛎黄的食客聊天，他们根本没那闲工夫。就算有，口中那诱人的美味，也烫得他们根本说不出话来！

Oyster（family member: pacific oyster, ostrea rivularis gould and ostrea talienwhanesis, etc.）is a seafood delicacy. Ostrea talienwhanensis Crosse, of larger size and fresh and tender in texture, is deeply favored by Dalian locals, which had won itself a nickname of “Hailizi”. You may say that Dalian people's love for“Hailizi”is genetically inherited, and even in their accent, you may find a flavor of“Hailizi”. It is said that Dalian people masticate five thousand tons of oyster each year. Many Dalian locals have had their childhood spent nearby coastal reefs, where there were abundance of oysters. Picking up one and opening it, the milky oyster meat will come into your sight. Sucking the meat into your mouth with a swish, and throwing the shell into the sea with the fresh taste left in your mouth, this smooth set of motion is a typical scene when you watch someone eating oysters. Nowadays oysters are no longer here and there, but still you may find them in any local seafood market, where oyster vendor may pick up one and open it on the spot, with his/her fingers moving flexibly to separate the juicy meat from the shell. Dalian people, from time to time, will buy some“Hailizi”to satisfy their appetite.

Dalian people also have a talent for cooking oysters, like mixing raw oyster meat with vegetables, steaming oyster, baking oyster, making oyster dumplings and so on. No matter how you cook it, you can hardly resist its temptation. There is a special way of cooking, which is known to the heart of each Dalian local: Fried Oyster. Speaking plainly, this cuisine is made by deepfrying the oysters (well wrapped with yolk and flour paste) . Though it seems easy, making crisply fried oyster is a hard task for each local chef, and also a major test on his craftsmanship. Out of the pan, oysters crack in the plate, and you have to be quick in tasting them by dipping one in spiced salt and quickly putting it into your mouth. Only in this way can you have a bite of the crispness (from the paste) and the tenderness (from the meat), and instantly, your palate will be conquered. As the delicious flavor melted in your mouth, you cannot help but want another one. Well, at that moment, you would rather not be disturbed, because you neither have time nor mouth to talk. Even you want to, you will find your mouth is burning!