Stuffed Soft Shell Crab Recipes

CHEZ MARCELLE'S STUFFED SOFT-SHELL CRABS

Steps:

• Cook green onions, garlic, crab and shrimp in white wine about three minutes. Add pimentos, mushrooms, cayenne, white pepper and salt and bread crumbs and cook a minute or two longer. Stir in yolks.
• Chill stuffing for about 1 hour, until firm. Carefully stuff each side cavity of crabs with mixture.
• Season crabs with salt, white pepper and cayenne. Dredge in flour; dip in a mixture of buttermilk and eggs, then in cracker meal, breading each leg individually.
• Heat oil in deep pot to 375 degrees. Deep fry a few crabs at a time until golden brown on both sides.
• Serve crabs with Creolaise sauce. Garnish with lemon and fried parsley.

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.

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.

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.

STUFFED CRAB

Steps:

• In a skillet over low heat melt the butter, add the onion, yellow pepper, fennel, and garlic.
• Season with salt and pepper. Cook slowly for about 6 minutes until all are tender, transfer mixture to a bowl, add bread crumbs, and allow to cool.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• When cooled add crab meat, mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, tarragon, parsley, scallions, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Mix the ingredients well and stuff the shells. Bake for 25 minutes until warmed through.
• Note: the crabs should be poached in a court boullion made with 2 quarts water, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped yellow onion, and 1 chopped celery stalk boiled with 1/2 teaspoon each black peppercorns and coriander seeds. Bring the mixture to a boil and after 10 minutes, add 1 lemon, thinly sliced. Let boil for 10 more minutes, salt the water, and poach the crabs.

STUFFED SOFT-SHELL CRAB

Steps:

• To clean crabs, remove spongy substance (gills) the lies under the tapering points on either side of back shell. Place crabs on back, and remove the small piece at lower part of shell that terminates in a point (apron). Wash crabs thoroughly;drain well.
• Remove any cartilage or shell from crabmeat. Combine crabmeat and next 7 ingredients, mix well. Stuff crabmeat mixture evenly into cavity of each crab, dredge crabs in flour. Fry crabs in deep hot oil (375F) for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve right away.

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.

STUFFED CRAB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion and cook until soft.
• Remove from heat and add egg,crab,half and half,parsley, garlic, salt, pepper,pepper sauce,and half the breadcrumbs.
• Return to heat and cook about 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in Sherry;adjust seasoning, if needed.
• Stuff into 4 crab shells (or divide among 4 ramekins).
• Sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs and lemon juice; top each with a pat of butter.
• Bake until tops are golden brown, 5 to 12 minutes.
• Serve hot or cold.

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.