Corn Crusted Soft Shell Crabs With Bean Mango Salsa Recipes

SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH CORN AND BLACK-BEAN SALSA

Steps:

• Shuck fresh corn, and steam for about 3 minutes. If using frozen corn, cook 1 minute in 1 tablespoon water.
• Rinse the crabs. Drain and dry.
• Beat egg whites until slightly foamy; dip crabs in egg whites and then in the flour to coat lightly. Set aside on a piece of wax paper.
• Drain corn, cool and scrape off kernels into a serving bowl.
• Wash, trim, seed and chop half the jalapeno pepper and all the red pepper; peel and dice the mangoes, and add to the bowl with the corn.
• Drain the beans, rinse thoroughly and drain again; add to bowl.
• Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet large enough to hold the crabs. Saute them on both sides until they are brown -- 4 or 5 minutes.
• Add the vinegar and lime juice to the corn mixture; season with salt and pepper, and serve with crabs on the side.

SOFT SHELL CRABS WITH CORN RELISH, FIELD GREENS AND ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• In a deep saucepan, heat peanut oil to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, pepper, fennel and salt. Whisk in club soda and egg whites to form a smooth batter. Dip soft shell crabs in batter and fry in batches until golden brown, about 4 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels.
• Serve crabs with Corn Relish. Drizzle with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and garnish with a pile of greens.
• Steam corn kernels until crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes, set aside. Cut the kernels from the cob into a mixing bowl.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and mushrooms, cook until mushrooms give off their liquid and start to brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add red pepper, jalapeno and green onion. Cook just until scallions wilt, about 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Stir in corn mixture and cook until corn is heated through.
• Combine pepper puree, shallots, and vinegar in a non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a simmer and simmer until shallots are tender. Add cream and stir to combine. Add lemon juice and whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, until sauce is smooth and thickened. Season with salt, to taste.

SOFT-SHELL CHILI CRABS WITH MANGO NOODLE SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare the crab by cutting away the face (this can taste bitter), slicing just behind the eyes. Next, lift the flap on the underside of the crab and cut this off. Loosen the top "shell" of the body and remove the gills. Rinse the crabs well.
• For the marinade: Mix together the ginger, peanut oil, rice wine, five-spice powder and cayenne in a bowl. Add the crabs, cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Fill a wok halfway with peanut oil. Place over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 350 degrees F, or until a cube of bread turns golden brown in 15 seconds and floats to the surface.
• In a shallow bowl, stir together 2 heaping tablespoons sweet potato starch with the beaten eggs (the batter can have some lumps). Remove the crabs from the marinade. Dip the crabs in the batter and then dredge again in the remaining sweet potato starch. Carefully lower the crabs into the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Deep-fry until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with the salt and dried chile flakes while they are still hot.
• Serve immediately over Mango Noodle Salad and garnish with the chives and Fresno chiles.
• In a large bowl, toss together the noodles, spinach, chiles and mango and set aside.
• Whisk together the vinegar, chili sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and peanut oil. Taste and adjust flavors if desired. Dress the salad just before serving.

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.

CORNMEAL-CRUSTED SOFT-SHELL CRABS

Steps:

• Combine cornmeal, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or plate.
• Whisk egg whites in a small bowl until just frothy. Dip crabs into egg whites to coat. Dredge them in the seasoned cornmeal, shake off excess, and set aside.
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; arrange 4 crabs on their bellies in the pan. Cook until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer crabs to a plate and add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil to pan. Return crabs to pan, on their backs, and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes more. Remove crabs from skillet and keep warm on a baking sheet in a 300 degrees oven. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and crabs.
• Divide arugula among four plates. Arrange 2 crabs over each plate of arugula, spoon confit over or around crabs, and serve.

CRISPY SOFT-SHELLED CRABS WITH BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath with lightly salted water. Add salt to boiling water, return to a boil, and add beans or peas. Cook until just tender but still crunchy, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and immediately transfer to prepared ice-water bath to cool; drain.
• Place tomatoes and beans or peas in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add basil and toss to combine.
• In a shallow bowl, beat together milk and eggs. In another shallow bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dip each crab in milk mixture to coat, and then dredge completely in flour mixture.
• Set a wire rack over a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Season crabs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, fry crabs until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to prepared wire rack. Continue frying until all crabs have been cooked.
• Drizzle salad with olive oil; toss to combine. Divide salad evenly between 4 plates and top each with 2 fried crabs. Serve immediately with garlic mayonnaise.

CORNMEAL-CRUSTED SOFT-SHELLED CRABS WITH CILANTRO-LIME TARTAR SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, salt, and pepper and pour into a 3-quart shallow dish. Add crabs and soak, covered and chilled, 1 hour.
• Heat enough oil to measure 2 inches deep in a wide 4-quart heavy pot (about 4 inches deep) to 375°F.
• Whisk together flour and cornmeal and transfer to a large sealable plastic bag. Lift 1 crab out of buttermilk, letting excess drip off, and shake in bag to coat with flour. Knock off excess flour and transfer to a tray. Repeat with remaining crabs, arranging them in 1 layer as coated.
• Deep-fry crabs, 2 at a time, turning over halfway through frying (watch out for popping), until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Return oil to 375°F between batches. Drain crabs on paper towels and serve with tartar sauce.

MANGO SALSA

Steps:

• Combine the ingredients and use as above.

SOFT-SHELL CRABS ON PAPAYA-MANGO SALSA

Steps:

• Wash and dry the crabs, and sprinkle on both sides with flour.
• Heat oil in nonstick pan large enough to hold the crabs.
• Place crabs top side down in hot oil and cook over medium-high heat until they begin to turn red; turn and brown on other side. The total cooking time is about 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the crabs.
• Meanwhile, peel and seed the papaya. Peel the mangoes. Cut fruits into bite-size pieces and place in a bowl.
• Wash, trim and seed the jalapeno; mince and add to fruit.
• Add lime juice to fruit.
• Wash, dry and chop cilantro to make 1 tablespoon and stir in.
• Arrange salsa on each of two dinner plates and place crabs on top of salsa.

SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH CORN

Steps:

• Chop onion. Heat nonstick pan until it is very hot; reduce heat, and spray with pan spray. Add onion, and saute until it begins to soften.
• Meanwhile, mince garlic in food processor. Rinse peppers, add to food processor with soy sauce, and puree.
• Scrape corn from the cob, and add to onion with the cumin; cook 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook briefly.
• Wash and julienne basil, and stir in with salt and pepper. Remove from pan, and set aside. Clean pan.
• Wash crabs, and coat with flour already seasoned with black pepper.
• Heat the oil in the same pan; add the crabs, and saute on both sides, a total of about 5 minutes.
• Combine the peppers with onion-corn mixture, and serve with crabs.

FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRAB

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.

CORN-CRUSTED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH BEAN-MANGO SALSA

Steps:

• Beat egg white slightly. Wash and dry crabs, dip into egg white and then into cornmeal.
• Drain and rinse beans under cold running water.
• Cut mangoes and pineapple into small chunks and place in mixing bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients but the crabs.
• Heat oil in a nonstick pan and saute crabs until they turn red and the crust turns golden brown on both sides; about 5 minutes, depending on size.
• Mince jalapeno, coarsely grate ginger, and add both to fruit.
• Stir in brown sugar, lime juice and beans.
• Wash, dry and chop cilantro and stir in.
• Arrange salsa on each of two dinner plates and top with crabs.