How to Clean and Cook Soft Shell Crabs
Soft shell crabs are basically blue crabs. Every year the crab molts, shedding its shell, and the result--before the new shell hardens--is a soft shell crab. The shell should be soft, not brittle like paper, and ideally you should purchase soft shell crabs that are as fresh as possible. You can eat the entire crab, including the shell and legs. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Kitchen shears Cast iron skillet Butter, olive oil or combination of both 1 egg 1/2 cup milk 1 cup flour salt and pepper
Instructions
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1
Use the shears to make a cut straight across the front of the soft shell crab, cutting its mouth and eyes off.
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2
Lift up the side edges of the shell to reveal the gills--they look a bit like tiny fingers or tapered cylinders of flesh. Use a finger to push the gills away from the rest of the crab, then clip them off with the shears.
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3
Flip the crab over. The flap covering its backside--essentially, the tail--is called the apron. You can cut the apron off or leave it.
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4
Rinse the crab under running water, paying particular attention to where the gills were as this area may sometimes retain sand.
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5
Melt butter, olive oil or a combination of the two in a cast iron skillet. The heat should be as high as possible--just short of smoking.
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6
Mix one egg and 1/2 cup milk in a small bowl. Pour about a cup of flour into another bowl and add salt and pepper to the flour to suit your taste.
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7
Dredge the soft shell crab through the flour, then dip it in the egg and milk mixture, then dredge it through the flour once more, making sure to coat it evenly on all sides.
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8
Pan fry the crab in the skillet until it's golden brown, usually 1 or 2 minutes on each side. It can be consumed as soon as it's cool enough to eat.
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