These crunchy mollusks are guaranteed to start your party on the right foot.
Mix the oysters and buttermilk together in a large shallow dish or a freezer-sized zip-top plastic bag. Cover/seal it up and let it chill for at least 2 hours. Drain the oysters afterward.
Mix the flour together with the next eight ingredients. Dredge the oysters in the resulting flour mixture, and shake off any excess.
Pour oil to a depth of 1 inch in a Dutch oven, and heat it up to 370°.
Fry the oysters in batches until they turn golden, and drain 'em on paper towels.
Stir together melted butter, hot sauce, and lemon juice, and pour the resulting marinade evenly over the fried oysters while they're hot. Serve the oysters with ranch dressing and celery sticks on the side.