Here is one for all the soft shell crab lovers out there. This dish was one of my favorites from my first place of employment, the now closed 5 star LeRuth’s in Gretna. You can find crabmeat on top of a lot of different things in New Orleans. But to put Jumbo Lump Crabmeat on a fried Soft Shell Crab was pure genius.
How to select and clean Soft Shell Crabs
When buying soft-shell crabs, live ones are the best but they’re not always easy to find. To select the tastiest, use your nose. When fresh, they smell clean and astringent, like sea mist―a fitting aroma for a delicacy that both captures the romance of the sea and the allure of a full moon in spring.
1. To clean soft-shell crabs, hold the crab in one hand, and using a pair of kitchen shears, cut off the front of the crab, about 1/2 inch behind the eyes and mouth. Squeeze out the contents of the sack located directly behind the cut you just made.
2. Lift one pointed end of the crab’s outer shell; remove and discard the gills. Repeat on the other side.
3. Turn the crab over and snip off the small flap known as the apron. Rinse the entire crab well and pat dry. Once cleaned, crabs should be cooked or stored immediately.
4 Soft Shell Crabs
Egg Wash
Seafood Breading
Meuniere sauce
1 pound Lump Crabmeat, picked through to remove loose shells.
Fresh Parsley chopped
Preheat deep fryer to 350 degrees. Make Meuniere sauce and add the crabmeat. Cook for 2 minutes then keep warm. Dip cleaned crabs in egg wash, shaking off excess. Dredge the crabs in seafood breading, shaking off excess. Fry the crabs for 3-5 minutes or until done, when they are floating to the surface of the oil in the fryer. Drain on paper towels. Top each crab with ¼ of the crabmeat mixture. Sprinkle parsley on top and serve.
Enjoy!!!
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