SAUTÉED SOFT-SHELL CRABS
with Ginger-Lemongrass Vinaigrette
About the Recipe
I tasted my first soft-shell crab on the porch of a Chesapeake Bay seafood shack on a June afternoon in the early 1970's. This new treat was sweet, briny, complex and even more succulent than the hard-shell kind—plus, no need for crackers and bibs.
The soft-shell is actually the very same species that is harvested, cracked and eaten around the Chesapeake and the Gulf of Mexico at other times of year—the blue crab or Callinectes sapidus.
For years I imagined soft-shell crabs to be restaurant-only fare, but when a friend effortlessly fried up a platterfull in his own kitchen, I realized how easy they are to prepare at home. And the season is NOW.
Soft-shells should be alive when purchased, kept on ice in the fridge until ready to cook and used that same day. My fishmonger cleans the crabs for me, but you can use scissors to snip off the mouth, eyes, gills and the flat abdominal apron yourself before cooking, if you like.
I love the marine delicacy accompanied with ginger-lemongrass vinaigrette and cilantro. But the crabs can be served a million ways. They make a divine sandwich on a toasted bun along with crispy bacon, tomato, avocado watercress and homemade mayo or tartar sauce.
A last tip: be sure not to undercook them.
SAUTÉED SOFT-SHELL CRAB with GINGER-LEMONGRASS VINAIGRETTE
Serves 4 as a first course, 2 as a main course
Ingredients:
For the ginger-lemongrass vinaigrette:
For the ginger-lemongrass vinaigrette:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2-1/2 tablespoons lime juice
5 teaspoons maple syrup
1/3 cup smashed and coarsely chopped fresh lemongrass
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large shallot, coarsely chopped
1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons chili paste
1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoons soy sauce or Vietnamese fish sauce
1/2 cup canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the crabs:
1/4 cup flour (preferably superfine flour, such as Wondra)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 soft-shell crabs, cleaned
1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil, such as canola
Chopped chives and/or cilantro, for garnish
Method
Make vinaigrette: Place all ingredients except canola oil, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. In slow, steady stream, pour oil into blender. With motor off, add salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at least 15 minutes before using. (Dressing can be refrigerated up to 3 days.)
Meanwhile, prepare crabs: In a bowl, mix flour with salt and pepper. Sift flour over crabs, coating both sides.
Sauté crabs: Heat oil in a nonstick skillet large enough to hold all crabs, over high heat. (If necessary to avoid crowding pan, cook in batches.) When oil begins to smoke, add crabs, top-side down. Sauté crabs until brown and crisp, 3-4 minutes per side. If working in batches, set cooked crabs aside and repeat with remaining crabs.
To serve, spoon about 3 tablespoons vinaigrette onto the centers of 4 dinner plates. Split each crab in half lengthwise and place over vinaigrette. Garnish with chopped cilantro and/or chives.