Fried Oyster Rolls 蚵卷

Fried Oyster Rolls (蚵卷) are a snack of Anping District (安平区) in Tainan (台南): fresh oysters seasoned and wrapped, then deep-fried in much the same way as the district's shrimp rolls. Chinese Wikipedia lists them among Anping's specialty snacks, alongside candied fruit, prawn crackers, shrimp rolls, oyster omelette and douhua (豆花).

How it is made

The Anping District Office, drawing on its booklet Anping Snack Tour (安平小吃巡礼), says the method follows that of fried shrimp rolls, with oysters as the main filling. The oysters are seasoned with a little white pepper and five-spice powder and mixed with chopped Chinese chives. The wrapper is pig's caul fat or tofu skin, coated in frying batter and fried until golden, giving a crisp outside and a tender inside; the office compares the flavour to that of oyster fritters (蚵嗲).

How it is eaten

Oyster rolls come with a sauce and mustard (芥末), and the district office presents them as something to go with a drink, with rice or as a snack. Many shops in Anping sell them, and the taste varies with each shop's own recipe; the office lists Chen's Oyster Rolls (陈家蚵卷) on Anping Road as a shop taking part in the Anping snack culture promotion scheme.