Pistou For Soft Shell Crab Recipes

CRISPY SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH PISTOU AND SOFT FRIED EGGS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together benne seeds, beer, and flour until well combined; season with a pinch of salt. Transfer batter to refrigerator and let chill for 30 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add morels and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add ramps, peas, and vegetable stock; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until ramps are wilted and peas are bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, fill a large Dutch oven 5 inches high with canola oil. Heat oil over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.
• Remove batter from refrigerator and dredge each crab in batter, shaking off excess. Transfer crabs to hot oil and cover Dutch oven with a splatter guard (crabs will sizzle and pop while cooking). Cook, turning once, until crabs are golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer crabs to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
• Place a tablespoon of butter in each of 2 medium nonstick skillets; heat skillets over medium heat until butter is frothy. Reduce heat to low and crack an egg into each skillet; cook, basting whites with butter using a spoon, until whites are set but yolks are still runny. Season with salt and pepper. Remove eggs from skillets and repeat process with remaining 2 eggs.
• Divide pistou evenly among 4 serving plates. Place a crab on each plate and top each with an egg. Divide morels, ramps, and peas evenly among plates; garnish each with a pea shoot and benne seeds. Serve immediately.

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.

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.

PISTOU FOR SOFT-SHELL CRAB

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice-water bath and set aside. Add pea shoots to boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and transfer to ice-water bath to cool. Drain and pat dry, removing any excess water.
• Very finely chop pea shoots and transfer to the jar of a blender, along with garlic, vegetable stock, and xanthan gum; blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve; serve.

SOFT SHELL CRAB WITH TEMPURA BATTER AND DIPPING SAUCES

Steps:

• For Tempura Batter: Whisk together ingredients. Can be used for up to 1 hour. Keep cold!
• For Crabs: Heat 1/4-inch of corn or peanut oil in a heavy skillet until very hot but not smoking. Fry the crabs in batches for about 2 minutes on the first side, then turn and fry for another minute. The crust should be golden. Be prepared the crabs will split when you fry them; a splatter screen will come in handy.
• Drain on paper towels and serve with dipping sauces.
• For Balsamic Syrup: Put all ingredients together and reduce over medium heat, down to 1/4 of its liquid. Strain and discard onion.
• For Red Pepper Syrup: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Reduce down to 3/4 of a cup. Thicken with the arrowroot.
• For Wasabi Cream: Dissolve Wasabi in water. Whisk in creme fraiche and lemon juice. Season with salt.

SAUTEED SOFTSHELL CRABS

Steps:

• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Place flour on a plate, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge soft-shell crabs in flour, shaking off excess. When the skillet is hot, add half the butter and canola oil to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Add four crabs, backside down, being careful to avoid spattering. When they brown lightly, turn, and finish cooking on the other side, until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes total, depending on the size of the crabs. Drain on paper towels, and repeat with remaining crabs, adding more butter or oil to pan if needed.
• In a small bowl, stir together remaining clarified butter and lemon juice. Drizzle over crabs, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

PAN-FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRABS

Steps:

• Combine flour and seafood seasoning in a resealable zip-top bag. Seal and shake to mix. Combine egg and milk in a bowl. Dredge crabs in egg mixture, then add to seasoned flour and shake to coat. Shake off excess when removing from bag.
• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Add crabs in a single layer and cook for 3 minutes; flip and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Remove to a serving dish.
• Mix mayonnaise, chives, pickle juice, mustard, seafood seasoning, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together for remoulade. Serve with crabs.