The Perfect Soft-Shell Crab Recipe For Summer

by Suzanne Virgilio on 06/20/12

Everyone has his or her own opinion on when summer starts. For me, it’s when I see soft-shell crabs in the seafood display at the grocery store.

Soft-shell crabs are just regular crabs (blue crabs in the U.S.) that have outgrown their shells. They are full of fresh crab flavor without the hassle of dealing with the hard crab shell.

Though there are many delicious ways to cook soft shells, my favorite recipe involves breading and frying the crabs in a tempura style, and topping them with a sweet citrus gastrique! The combination of tender crab meat coupled with Asian flavorings is sure to get you in the summer state of mind. 

Tempura Soft-shell Crab w/Oriental Salad & Citrus Gastrique

Serves 2 - 4

Ingredients

4 large cleaned soft shells – (Ask your fishmonger to prepare them cleaned for you)

2/3-cup flour

1/2-cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 beaten egg

1-cup cold seltzer water

 Oil for frying

Procedure

Season soft shells with salt & pepper

Combine the next six ingredients in another medium bowl – stir well

Add seltzer water & beaten egg to flour/cornstarch mixture and whisk until smooth

Dressing

Ingredients

3/4-cup soy sauce

1/2-cup sesame oil

1/4 cup Asian Chili garlic sauce or to taste

Combine all ingredients and stir well

Oriental Salad

Ingredients

1 lb angel hair pasta, cooked al dente and tossed w/ olive oil

1 julienned red pepper

1 julienned yellow or orange pepper

1-cup julienned Napa cabbage

2 cups steamed broccoli florets

1 bunch sliced scallions

1/2 bunch cilantro – chopped  - additional for garnish

1/2 cup salted peanuts (optional) – additional for garnish

Toss vegetables with pasta and top with dressing – toss until well combined

Gastrique

Definition of a Gastrique: a gastrique is a sweet-and-sour sauce at its simplest. You caramelize sugar (or sometimes honey), combine it with equal parts vinegar, and reduce it slightly to make a tart, slightly thickened syrup. (Definition from Seriouseats.com)

Ingredients

1-cup sugar

 1/2-cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat over medium flame, stir occasionally and bring to a simmer.  Continue to heat until all sugar is dissolved and mixture is clear. 

Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof pitcher.

Assembling

Heat oil until almost smoking.

While oil is heating dip the soft shell into tempura batter, shaking off any excess.

First, carefully holding the top of the soft shell, drag the legs through the oil  for 30 seconds.  This will allow the individual legs to fry separately instead of together.  Then, lay the softshell top side down, into the oil.  Fry 2-3 minutes or until golden.  Flip the softshell over and continue frying for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Remove from the fryer and allow draining on paper towel.

To serve -  mound the salad into the center of a platter. 

Arrange the softshell around the salad.

Drizzle the gastrique over the entire platter

Garnish with additional chopped peanuts and chopped cilantro.