Soft Shell Crabs: A Coastal Delight & Delicacy
As early April rolls around each spring in the Lowcountry, it's time to ditch those crab claw crackers and just dig in. Could there be any more highly anticipated treat in the South than soft-shell crabs? I dont think so, for these are our culinary darlings and harbingers of springtime.
Beginning each spring, blue crabs start shedding their shells so they can grow, rendering them fully edible, spindly legs and all. It's virtually impossible to find them at any time of the year except this designated season. Come early spring down the East Coast and along the Gulf of Mexico, a mass exodus of blue crabs surfaces from hibernation beneath the ocean floor. They soon molt, temporarily exchanging their hard shells for a thin skin that's fully edible and rich in flavor.
Shortly after molting, the crabs bury themselves in mud or hide in eelgrass, so crabbers harvest them beforehand, and place them in holding tanks according to their expected shed dates. Crabbers drop their pots into the bay, pull them out a few days later, and bring the "jimmys" back to the dock. Here, the crabs are transferred to shallow slough trays, which are constantly irrigated with bay water. Every four hours, the crabs are closely inspected; any molting crabs-called busters-are removed and taken to market. These are delicacies and often sautÈed or fried in a light tempura.
My romance with soft shells began with the very first bite-sweet, salty, crunchy, tender, and intoxicating. It was an entire eating experience in one mouthful.
All too often, soft-shell crabs are over-battered and over-fried. At that point the crunch comes entirely from the fried batter, and the delicate flavor is lost amid the flour and oil. My favorite mode of preparation, and by far the easiest, is to grill or sautÈ the little guys.
PECAN CRUSTED SOFT SHELL CRAB
Adapted from Chef Tom Ferrel, Executive Chef, Berkeley Hall, Bluffton, S.C.
4 Soft shell crabs For the crumbs:
2 cups Buttermilk 1 cup Panko crumbs
1 cup All purpose flour Ω cup Pecans
Ω tsp Garlic 1 Tbsp Parsley, chopped
Kosher salt º tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
Black pepper, freshly ground Ω tsp Kosher salt
4 Eggs, well beaten
For the crabs:
Have crabs cleaned and prepped at the fish market.
Pour buttermilk into a 3-quart shallow dish. Add crabs and soak, covered and chilled for 1 hour. Soaking helps plump them up. Remove from buttermilk and wash under running water. Pat dry with paper towels.
Sprinkle each crab with salt and black pepper. Mix together the pecans and panko crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper. Place in a food processor and pulse several times. Set aside.
Use the three step method: first dredge in flour mixture, spreading out the claws and legs to be sure the flour coats well, next dip in the beaten eggs and finally the Panko crumbs. Make sure the entire crab is well coated.
Fry individually in oil heated to 350∞, until lightly golden brown, approximately 45 seconds to 1 minutes, depending size of the crab. Drizzle with Chipotle Honey mixture just before serving. Delicious!
Chipotle Honey Drizzle
7 ounces Adobo chipotle pepper
2 cups Honey
æ cup Water
Combine ingredients and cook at a low boil for 4-5 minutes. Place in blender and blend for about 5 seconds. Allow to cool and drizzle over the cooked crabs.
CRISPY GRILLED GARLIC SOFT SHELLS
4 Plump local soft shell crabs, cleaned and prepared at fish market
2 Tbsp fresh Lemon juice
4 Tbsp Olive oil
2 cloves Garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh Parsley, chopped
Lemon wedges for garnish
Place the soft shell crab in a shallow dish and coat thoroughly with lemon juice. Set aside for at least 30 minutes. Heat the oil until hot and add the garlic. Cook garlic until golden.
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Brush the first side of each crab with the garlic oil mixture and place crabs on hot grill, directly on the grill rack, seasoned-side down. Brush the top-side with garlic oil. Close the lid and allow to cook several minutes until the grill marks show and the crab begins to brown. Flip and brush the other side with more garlic oil. With the lid closed, continue to grill another 3-4 minutes until soft shells are golden browned and crispy, but not charred. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and garnish with lemon wedges.
Serve hot off the grill and enjoy!
TRADITIONAL FRIED SOFT SHELL BLUE CRAB
The traditional recipe is the one most of us first taste when we discover soft shell crabs. The crunch is most inviting.
8 Soft shell crabs, cleaned and prepped at the fish market
3 Eggs, beaten 1 cup All purpose flour
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning º tsp Pepper
1 cup Panko bread crumbs Oil for frying
Lemon wedges and seafood sauce
Heat oil to medium high. Be sure not to crowd the pan. It is better to cook in small batches, placing cooked crabs in a 200∞ oven just to keep warm until ready to serve.
Place beaten eggs in a medium bowl. In a second separate bowl, mix flour, Old Bay and pepper together. In a third bowl, place the Panko bread crumbs.
Dip crab into flour mixture, dusting off any excess. Next, dip crabs, one at a time, in the beaten eggs, and finally dip into the panko bread crumbs. Fry 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with lemon wedges and your favorite seafood sauce.
GREAT WAYS TO PREPARE SOFT SHELL CRAB
Grilled: Heat the grill until moderately hot. Place the rack about four inches from the heat source. Grill crabs for several minutes per side, basting occasionally with melted butter spiked with a little Tabasco and garlic. Finish with lemon juice and freshly chopped herbs.
SautÈed Soft Shell Crab: For 4 soft shell crabs-Put about º inch of a combination of oil and butter in a large skillet. Prepare a flour mixture of salt, pepper and all purpose flour. When the fat is hot (a pinch of flour will sizzle), dredge the crabs, one at a time, in beaten eggs; then dredge in the flour, salt and pepper mixture and sautÈ. When the bottoms are nicely browned, 3 to 5 minutes, turn, and brown the other side. Drain on paper towels. Add the juice of Ω lemon to the pan and 1 tablespoon of capers. Pour mixture over crabs. Garnish with lemon slices and a sprinkling of parsley. Serve at once. (See picture below.)
Other tasty ideas for soft shells include: simply mixing flour and cornmeal together before frying. If you like a little kick, try adding some cayenne pepper to the mixture. Ground oyster crackers or saltines also make a good coating. Another favorite method is the use of a tempura batter.
For tempura: Lightly beat 2 cups ice-cold water with 3 egg yolks and 1 Ω cups all-purpose flour in a large bowl. The batter should be lumpy and thin. Do not overmix. Put about 1 cup of loose flour on a plate, salt and pepper the crabs, then, and one at a time, dredge the crabs in flour, dip them in the batter, then fry until golden, less than 5 minutes total. Drain on paper towels.
DELICIOUS SAUCES TO PAIR WITH SOFT SHELL CRAB ENTREES
Most of the time, I like to serve soft-shell crabs with just a simple lemon wedge and a little chopped parsley. However, if you are in the mood for adventure, some of the best sauces I've tried are from Mark Bittman, food columnist for the New York Times.
Tartar Sauce: Whisk together 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice and 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard. Add 1 cup oil, such as canola oil or olive oil, a few dribbles at a time, adding more until it's incorporated. When the thick emulsion forms, add the remaining oil a little faster. This process takes about 5 minutes by hand or 1 minute in the food processor. Stir in º cup chopped shallot and º cup chopped cornichons or other favorite pickles.
Cilantro Pesto: Combine 2 cups cilantro leaves, loosely packed, 1 clove garlic and 3 tablespoons oil in a food processor. Pulse a few times and scrape down the sides. Add 1 tablespoon lime juice and blend. Add water as necessary to purÈe.
Ponzu Sauce: (goes well with the soft shelled crab tempura) Combine ? cup lemon juice, ? cup lime juice, º cup rice vinegar, 1 cup soy sauce, º cup mirin (or º cup sake and 1 tablespoon sugar) with one 3-inch piece kelp, Ω cup dried-bonito flakes and a pinch of cayenne. Allow to sit for at least two hours in order for the flavor to combine, and then strain before serving.