16 oysters, shucked
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup white cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying

Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce
2/3 cup sour cream
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
Salt, to taste

8 warm corn tortillas
1 head lettuce, rinsed, drained and torn
1 cup diced, seeded tomatoes

Soak oysters in buttermilk for 5 minutes.

Place cornmeal, salt and pepper in flat bowl and dredge oysters in mixture; set on plate.

In small skillet, pour vegetable oil to 1 inch depth and heat to 375 degrees F. When oil is hot, slip in the oysters and cook 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels and keep warm while remainder are being fried.

To make the sauce, combine sour cream, chopped chipotle, lime juice, garlic and salt. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

To serve, place 2 oysters on each tortilla, top with lettuce, tomatoes and chipotle sour cream sauce.

Makes 8 appetizer servings.