Care to Guess What a Quacky Mountain Oyster Is?
Photo © Matthias Merges, Yusho
“This dish is made with testicles!” That is not a phrase that garners much excitement from potential diners. But at the Las Vegas outpost of Matthias Merges’s restaurant Yusho, executive chef Brian Lhee is trying to change that. His quacky mountain oysters are made with duck parts instead of the typical bull or sheep. And in addition to frying them in the traditional way, he takes those duck parts and sous vides them for five hours in a combination of ginger, soy, sake and lemongrass, which, believe it or not, infuses them with great flavor and gives them a soft, tender texture.
Inspiration: Lhee says, “Japanese street food incorporates far more unconventional delicacies, from pigeon parts to chicken butt. We wanted to play upon this spirit with an American feel.”
Why You Really Might Like Them: “By panko breading and frying them, you have a crispy morsel with tender meat inside. We had a server try it and say, ‘Oh wow, just like chicken nuggets, my kids would love this!’”
It also doesn’t hurt that they are smothered in garlic beer sauce, which Lhee claims makes the dish as approachable as General Tso’s chicken. So look out, duck testicles could become your go-to 2 a.m. takeout order.
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