Soft Shell Crabs With Corn Relish Field Greens And Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Food

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.

CRAB CAKES WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Place cracker meal in a bowl and make a well in the center of the meal. Beat egg with milk and pour into well. Moisten cracker meal and combine liquid with meal using the tines of a fork. Add crab meat, crab boil seasoning, baking powder, parsley, lemon zest, celery, Worcestershire, hot pepper sauce, and mayonnaise to the bowl. Mix all ingredients well and form into 8 (3-inch) patties. Add 1/2-inch vegetable or canola oil to a skillet and heat to medium high temperature. Fry cakes 3 minutes on each side and drain on paper towel lined plate. Cook 4 cakes at a time, so that oil temp does not drop too low.
• For red pepper sauce, combine drained red peppers in a food processor bowl with mayonnaise and chili sauce. Pulse/grind the ingredients into a smooth sauce. Transfer sauce to a small serving dish.
• Serve crab cakes with sauce and lemon wedges.

CRUNCHY SOFT-SHELL CRABS

Steps:

• Soak crabs in a bowl of buttermilk.
• In a deep fryer or saucepan, heat 4 inches of oil to 375 degrees.
• Whisk together cornmeal and flour, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove crabs from buttermilk, letting excess drip back into bowl. Coat crabs evenly in the cornmeal mixture. Working in batches, fry until golden brown and crisp all over, turning if needed, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. While warm, season with salt. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

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.

SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH CORN AND ONION SAUCE

Steps:

• Place a couple of inches of water in pot, and bring to boil.
• Shuck corn, and steam it over the boiling water for about 2 minutes, until tender. Remove and cool.
• Chop onion. Heat nonstick skillet; reduce heat to medium-high and add 2 teaspoons of oil. Saute onion until it softens and begins to brown.
• Meanwhile, scrape kernels and puree in food processor with milk.
• Rinse red pepper, and chop. Rinse crabs; dry on paper towels.
• When onion is soft, stir in corn puree and red pepper. Mix well. Heat through; season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan, and set aside. Keep warm.
• Heat remaining oil until it is very hot. Saute crabs until they brown and redden a little on both sides, about 5 minutes total.
• Cut lemon into wedges. To serve, top crabs with corn puree and, if desired, sprinkle with lemon juice.

SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH LIME SAUCE

Steps:

• Season the flour with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Coat the crabs with flour and shake off excess. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. When hot, add the crabs, shell side down first and saute for about 3 to 4 minutes a side (stand back a bit from skillet as crab will pop and splatter as you saute them.)
• Remove the crabs and keep them warm. Add lime zest, juice and water to the pan. Deglaze the pan by scraping up all the browned particles with a wooden spoon and incorporating them into the lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Boil the juices down until syrupy. Set crabs on warmed dinner plates and pour pan juices over them. For fancier occasions, garnish the plate with lemon rounds and sprinkle toasted almonds over the crabs.

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.

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.

SOFT SHELL CRABS MIA

Steps:

• Mix everything, except crabs, in a shallow baking dish. Add crabs and cover.
• Marinate in the fridge for 1/2 hour.
• Place crabs on a hot grill.
• Cook for 15 minutes on each side basting and turning often.
• To decrease cooking time, cover grill with large lid to help circulate the heat evenly.
• Crabs are done when they are pink/red and slightly crisp, but still moist.
• Cook time does not include time to marinate.

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.