Soft Shell Crabs With Spiced Cucumber Salad Recipes

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.

GRILLED SOFT SHELL CRABS WITH JICAMA SALAD

Steps:

• Combine jicama, cucumber, and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro in a medium bowl. Dress with 4 tablespoons olive oil and 4 tablespoons lime juice. Season with salt, mix well and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, combine tomatoes, chiles, garlic, onions, avocado and remaining chopped cilantro. Dress with remaining lime juice, season with salt, mix gently and set aside.
• Lightly brush a hot grill or grill pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Brush crabs with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then place on grill and cook until firm, about 2 or more minutes on each side.
• To serve, divide jicama salad and tomato-avocado salsa between four plates. Top each plate with 2 crabs and garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges.

WASABI LIME CRAB SALAD IN CUCUMBER CUPS

Steps:

• Prepare cucumber cups:
• Cut cucumbers crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut a fluted round from each slice with cookie cutter, then scoop out some flesh from center of each round with melon-ball cutter or a small spoon, creating an indentation but leaving bottom intact.
• Prepare filling:
• Whisk together mayonnaise and wasabi, then whisk in lime juice and salt.
• Cut radishes into very thin slices with slicer. Halve slices, then cut crosswise into very thin strips. Trim radish sprouts to 1-inch lengths, measuring from top of sprout, and discard remaining stems. (If using pea shoots, cut sections with leaves into 1-inch pieces.)
• Stir together crab, wasabi mayonnaise, radish strips, and radish sprouts, then put a small spoonful of filling into each cucumber cup.

SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH SPICED CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Place cucumbers in a colander, toss with salt and set over a bowl to drain. Mix mayonnaise and sriracha, and set aside in a small serving dish.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat in a small skillet and add mustard seeds. When sizzling, add ginger, shallots and chilies. Sauté until shallots soften. Remove from heat, add vinegar and stir. Rinse and drain cucumbers, place in a shallow serving bowl and fold in shallot mixture. Sprinkle with mint.
• In a bowl, lightly beat eggs with 1 tablespoon water. Mix chickpea flour and curry powder, and spread on a plate. Dip crabs in egg, then in flour mixture. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet. Add crabs and sauté over medium-high heat until lightly browned, turning once. You may need two shifts. Remove from pan and arrange on cucumber salad.
• Serve, with red chili mayonnaise on the side, or serve on buns spread with mayonnaise and piled with salad.