Best Soft Shell Crab On Toast Recipes

PAN-FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRABS

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.

SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH CAPER BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• To prepare the soft-shell crabs: Put the flour in a pie dish or plate and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Dredge the crabs in the seasoned flour to coat, shaking off the excess. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame. Lay the crabs in the hot oil in a single layer without crowding; you may have to fry them in batches. Be careful, the crabs have a tendency to pop and spatter. Cook the crabs for about 3 minutes on each side, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and cover to keep warm.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. Let the butter melt and cook until it just begins to brown. Add the capers and wine; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until almost dry. Add the lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Pour the caper brown butter sauce over the crabs and serve with lemon wedges.

CRUNCHY SOFT-SHELL CRABS

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-SHELL CRAB BLTS

Steps:

• Stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning, until browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and break the slices in half.
• Whisk the flour and 1 tablespoon Old Bay in a shallow bowl. Season the crabs with salt and pepper, then dip the crabs in the seasoned flour to coat on both sides.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until foamy. Immediately add the crabs and cook, turning, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with more Old Bay.
• Assemble the sandwiches: Spread some of the mayonnaise mixture on 4 slices of toast. Top each with lettuce, tomato, some bacon and a crab. Spread the remaining mayonnaise mixture on the 4 other slices of toast and place on top of the sandwiches. Gently press down on each sandwich and cut in half. Serve with pickles.

SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH GARLIC AND BUTTER

Steps:

• Season crabs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. Set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the oil and saute the crabs until soft, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the crabs and set aside. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add the capers and white wine. Cook until wine has reduced to about 1/2. Swirl in the butter and the chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer crabs to a plate, spoon sauce over the crabs and garnish with Essence.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

SOFT-SHELL CRAB TOAST

Steps:

• In a blender, combine parsley, jalapeño, lemon juice and salt. Add oil and 3 tablespoons water. Purée until sauce is smooth, adding additional water if needed, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a thick yet pourable sauce. Transfer sauce to a bowl and add more salt or lemon juice, or both, if needed.
• Heat broiler. Place bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil, turning once, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Rub toast with cut garlic. Drizzle with oil or slather with butter (butter is nice on pain de mie), remove from pan and set aside.
• Lightly coat crabs with oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer, belly side up, to a large baking sheet (you can use the same one you used for the toast). Broil, turning once, until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes per side.
• Place one crab on top of each toast. Spoon a generous amount of sauce over each crab and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

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.

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.

SAUTEED SOFT-SHELLED CRABS ON HERBED TOAST

Steps:

• Trim the crust off the bread, then cut each slice in half.
• Melt four tablespoons of butter in the skillet, add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add the bread and cook until it browns, turn it over and continue to cook until that side browns. Sprinkle the tarragon over the toast and set it on the side.
• Season the flour with salt and pepper. Pat the crab in the flour and shake off any excess flour.
• Add the oil to the skillet and heat. Add the crabs and saute for one and a half minutes, then add an additional four tablespoons of butter, swirling it around as it melts. Cook for an additional one and a half minutes, then flip it over and cook for another three minutes. Remove the crabs to a platter and keep warm.
• Pour off the hot oil and butter from the pan. Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter to the pan. Let the butter melt and just start browning. At this point, squeeze the lemon into the pan. It will bubble and thicken slightly. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Put two pieces of toast on each plate, then place a crab on each. Drizzle the sauce over the crabs and sprinkle on some parsley, then serve immediately.

DEEP-FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRAB

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.