PAN-FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRABS
Ask your fishmonger to clean soft-shell crabs for you. Crabs should be cooked no more than six hours after they are cleaned.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Seafood Recipes
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Whisk flour, salt, and pepper; place on a dinner plate. Dredge 2 soft-shell crabs in flour mixture, shaking off excess (make sure crabs are completely coated).
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. The oil should be very hot but not smoking. Place flour-coated crabs, back side down, in sauté pan; reduce heat to medium if pan starts to smoke. Sauté crabs until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes (do not stand too close to pan; crabs tend to spatter during cooking). Turn crabs over, and cook 2 minutes more.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter and a large pinch of parsley to skillet. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over crabs. Keep warm in a low oven. Repeat process until all the crabs are cooked.
SAUTéED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH LEMON-BUTTER PAN SAUCE RECIPE
These crispy, plump, and briny soft-shell crabs cook up in just a few minutes, and are then topped with an even quicker lemon-brown butter pan sauce with capers and parsley. It's as pure a celebration of fresh soft-shell crabs as it gets, with nothing extraneous in the way.
Provided by Daniel Gritzer
Categories Entree Mains Quick and Easy Quick Dinners
Time 20m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a shallow bowl, season flour with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge crabs in the seasoned flour.
- In a 10-inch stainless steel skillet, melt 4 tablespoons (60g) butter over medium-high heat until foamy. Add crabs, shell-side down, and cook until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes; be careful, as soft-shell crabs sometimes pop in the pan. Flip crabs and cook until crisp and golden on bottom side, about 3 minutes. Transfer crabs to paper towel-lined plates and season lightly with salt.
- Add remaining 4 tablespoons (60g) butter to the skillet and melt until foaming. Lower heat to medium and cook until the butter turns a medium-brown color, about 2 minutes.
- Add capers and cook until lightly crisped, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice, swirl to combine, and remove from heat.
- Stir parsley into pan sauce, season with salt, if needed. Transfer crabs to a serving platter and spoon sauce on top. Serve right away.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 704 kcal, Carbohydrate 13 g, Cholesterol 376 mg, Fiber 1 g, Protein 48 g, SaturatedFat 31 g, Sodium 1274 mg, Sugar 0 g, Fat 51 g, ServingSize Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a starter, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRAB
These crabs are fried to a light crisp, and you can eat the whole crab. It is my favorite food.
Provided by WESBRYANT
Categories Main Dish Recipes Seafood Main Dish Recipes Crab
Time 35m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Clean each crab. Lift one pointed side of top shell and remove the gills by pulling them out. Put top shell back down and repeat on other side. On the bottom side remove tail flap by twisting and pulling off. Using a pair of scissors, remove the face by cutting behind the eyes. Rinse the crabs thoroughly with cold water. Dry on paper towels.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F (180 degrees F). In a shallow dish, whisk together the egg and milk using a fork. In a separate bowl, stir salt and pepper into the flour. Lightly salt the crab, then dip in the flour, dip in the egg, then in the flour again.
- Carefully place crabs into the deep-fryer. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Carefully turn over, and cook until golden on the other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve as soon as they are cool enough to eat. You can eat the whole crab.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 357.9 calories, Carbohydrate 25.4 g, Cholesterol 65.2 mg, Fat 24.4 g, Fiber 0.8 g, Protein 9.1 g, SaturatedFat 3.7 g, Sodium 76 mg, Sugar 1.6 g
CRUNCHY SOFT-SHELL CRABS
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories dinner, quick, main course
Time 20m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Soak crabs in a bowl of buttermilk.
- In a deep fryer or saucepan, heat 4 inches of oil to 375 degrees.
- Whisk together cornmeal and flour, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove crabs from buttermilk, letting excess drip back into bowl. Coat crabs evenly in the cornmeal mixture. Working in batches, fry until golden brown and crisp all over, turning if needed, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. While warm, season with salt. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
SOFT-SHELLED CRABS MEUNIèRE
Steps:
- Combine milk, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish and soak crabs 5 minutes. Lift 1 crab out of milk, letting excess drip off, and dredge in flour. Knock off excess flour and transfer to a tray. Repeat with remaining crabs, arranging them in 1 layer as coated.
- Heat clarified butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté crabs, upside down, 2 minutes. Turn over and sauté until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Transfer crabs to a serving dish. Add butter pieces to skillet and cook until golden brown with a nutty aroma. Add lemon juice and parsley (mixture will bubble up) and remove from heat.
- Season sauce with salt and pepper and drizzle over crabs.
SOFT SHELL CRAB
Steps:
- Combine chili paste, white vinegar, rice vinegar, garlic cloves, kosher salt, sugar, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes and skim if needed. Add cornstarch and bring back to a boil to thicken. Set aside and let cool.
- Heat oil to 360 degrees F. in a deep pot.
- Dredge crab in buttermilk and dip in tempura flour. Fry in oil for 2 minutes until crisp. Set aside. Place asparagus spear in oil for one minute. Set aside.
- Place 2 ounces of the cooled chili paste sauce in a shallow bowl along with a mound of cooked rice noodles. Arrange carrot and sprigs of basil, cilantro, and mint next to the noodles. Place lime wedge along side the noodles. Put fried crab on top of noodles with asparagus spear.
SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS CHI KIT WONG, THE FLOWER DRUM
Provided by Fred Ferretti
Categories dinner, main course
Time 20m
Yield 2 to 4 servings depending upon other dishes served
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Crabs are usually sold cleaned and iced; if not, to clean them: with sharp knife cut off apron and flap that folds under rear body. Turn crab over and cut off facial parts at point just back of eyes. With knife fold back covering at points of back and remove spongy material from gills. Wash in cold water and pat dry.
- Combine all sauce ingredients in bowl and reserve.
- In large bowl coat crabs with mixture of beaten egg, white pepper and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. When coated, dust thoroughly with remaining cornstarch until almost white.
- Heat wok over high heat and add peanut oil. When wisp of white smoke appears, place crabs in oil and fry until crisp. Remove from oil. Let oil get hot again and place crabs in oil a second time and fry until quite crisp. Remove and drain.
- Drain oil from wok. Place wok back on heat and when residue of oil heats add ginger, garlic, scallions and peppers and stir for about 40 seconds. Add crabs and mix well. Add sauce and mix all ingredients until crabs are thoroughly coated. Remove from wok and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 178, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 15 grams, Fat 10 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 6 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 236 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams
SOFT-SHELL CRAB POOR-BOY
Ask your fishmonger to clean the crabs for you, because though the process is a quick and easy one, it's not for the squeamish. There's not much cooking here. Sometimes crabs spatter, so it's best to fry them in oil that's not smoking hot.
Provided by Mark Bittman
Categories dinner, for two, lunch, sandwiches, main course
Time 30m
Yield 2 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Split bread in half and remove some of the soft white crumb with your fingers. Toast bread lightly in oven, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Beat egg and milk together in a bowl; combine the cornmeal, flour, cayenne and a large pinch of salt on a plate. Put about 1/4-inch of oil in a deep skillet broad enough to accommodate crabs, and turn heat to medium. When oil is hot -- a pinch of flour will sizzle -- dip crabs in milk-egg mixture, then dredge in the cornmeal-flour mixture. Put in skillet; adjust heat so crabs bubble gently but not furiously in oil.
- When bottom is nicely browned, 3 to 5 minutes, turn crabs and brown other side; crabs will be quite firm when done.
- Serve on toasted bread, garnished as you like.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 953, UnsaturatedFat 13 grams, Carbohydrate 155 grams, Fat 19 grams, Fiber 10 grams, Protein 38 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Sodium 1139 milligrams, Sugar 18 grams, TransFat 0 grams
DEEP-FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRAB
Don't be put off by the idea of eating the whole crab. It's tender, slightly salty, and delicious. And the insides look like straight meat after frying with no visible "guts."
Provided by Brian Genest
Categories Seafood
Time 20m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Heat 2 inches oil in a deep pot to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Whisk flour, bread crumbs, cornstarch, seafood seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and chili powder together in a bowl until evenly combined. Mix milk and eggs together in a separate bowl.
- Dredge each whole crab in the flour mixture, dunk in the egg mixture, then back in the flour mixture to coat.
- Lower crabs carefully into the hot oil. Fry until they start to float, then fry for an additional minute, flipping halfway through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray to drain oil. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 881.6 calories, Carbohydrate 81.1 g, Cholesterol 218.1 mg, Fat 46.7 g, Fiber 4.1 g, Protein 33.5 g, SaturatedFat 8.3 g, Sodium 1304.7 mg, Sugar 4.2 g
SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH CURRY BUTTER
Fans of soft-shell crab look forward to the season - late spring and early summer - with feverish anticipation. The entire delicious crab is edible and may be prepared in many ways; deep-fried, grilled or pan-cooked. Here they are sautéed in a spicy curry butter, which complements the crabs' rich flavor. (The recipe makes more butter than is needed for this dish, but is wonderful to have on hand. Use extra for cooking vegetables or eggs.) Serve 1 large or 2 small soft-shell crabs per person.
Provided by David Tanis
Categories dinner, lunch, main course
Time 30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Make the curry butter: Put the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cloves in a dry skillet over medium heat. When spices are lightly toasted and fragrant, after a minute or so, grind them to a powder in a mortar or electric spice mill. Add nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne and turmeric.
- Put butter in a bowl. Add spices, garlic, ginger, salt and lime zest and juice. Mash seasonings into butter with a wooden spoon. Add crushed almonds and scallions, then mix until well incorporated. (May be prepared several hours ahead, or up to 1 day in advance.)
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons curry butter, let melt and swirl pan to distribute. Dust crabs lightly with rice flour, if using. When butter is foamy, add crabs in one layer and raise heat. Let crabs cook 3 minutes, then turn, using tongs, and cook 3 minutes on the other side. (Be careful, as crabs may spatter.) Remove crabs and keep warm.
- Add 4 tablespoons curry butter to pan and let sizzle. Add pea shoots and cook briefly until wilted, 1 minute or less.
- Arrange crabs on a warm platter or individual plates. Garnish with wilted pea shoots and lime wedges. Spoon melted curry butter from pan over crabs and serve at once.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 604, UnsaturatedFat 19 grams, Carbohydrate 6 grams, Fat 52 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 30 grams, SaturatedFat 30 grams, Sodium 649 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram, TransFat 2 grams
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