Cornmeal Crusted Soft Shell Crabs With Lemon Brown Butter Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Beat egg white slightly. Wash and dry crabs, dip into egg white and then into cornmeal.
• Drain and rinse beans under cold running water.
• Cut mangoes and pineapple into small chunks and place in mixing bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients but the crabs.
• Heat oil in a nonstick pan and saute crabs until they turn red and the crust turns golden brown on both sides; about 5 minutes, depending on size.
• Mince jalapeno, coarsely grate ginger, and add both to fruit.
• Stir in brown sugar, lime juice and beans.
• Wash, dry and chop cilantro and stir in.
• Arrange salsa on each of two dinner plates and top with crabs.

Steps:

• Make the coating: in a shallow dish, stir the all the coating ingredients together.
• Remove the feeler underneath the crab shells on both sides; rinse the crab and dry carefully.
• In a big skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the vegetable oil; add in shallots and saute until lightly softened, about 1 minute.
• Roll the crabs in the flour mixture and place them in the skillet; saute, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side.
• When they have finished cooking and have turned pink, add the lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and cook another minute or two.
• Make sure the garlic is cooked but not browned; taste for seasoning.
• Transfer the crabs to individual plates and garnish with lemon and parsley; serve immediately.

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.

Steps:

• Season the flour for dredging: mix together flour, cumin, coriander, cayenne, paprika and salt in a shallow bowl. Quickly dip both sides of the crabs in flour mixture and shake off excess.
• Put 4 tablespoons melted butter in a large, wide cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When butter is hot, carefully put in the crabs, top side down. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, until well crisped and cooked through. Remove crabs to a warmed platter. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
• Add 4 more tablespoons melted butter to pan and add sliced almonds. Stir to coat and cook until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add preserved lemon and cilantro and turn off heat.
• Spoon butter sauce over crabs, surround with lemon wedges and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Put the crabs in a shallow dish in one layer and add the milk, cayenne, salt and pepper. Turn the crabs in the milk.
• Dip the crabs immediately into the flour, turning to coat them well. Shake off the excess flour.
• Heat the oil until quite hot in a nonstick skillet large enough to hold the crabs in one layer. Add the crabs, belly side down. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes (more or less, depending on the size of the crabs) until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.
• Transfer the crabs to a warm serving platter. Garnish with lemon slices.
• Wipe out the skillet with a clean cloth and add the butter. When it is bubbling and turned hazelnut color add the lemon juice and pour the mixture over the crabs. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish; set aside. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in another shallow dish.
• Working in batches if necessary, place crabs in egg mixture, and turn to coat. Let stand 5 minutes. Lift out, allowing excess to drip off. Transfer to cornmeal mixture; turn to coat. Tap off excess, and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until hot but not smoking. Working in batches if necessary, add crabs; cook, flipping once, until crisp, golden brown, and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Using a slotted spatula, transfer crabs to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Place in oven to keep warm while making sauce.
• Divide onion slices among plates; set aside. Pour off oil from the skillet; wipe clean. Add butter; melt over medium-low heat. Stir in lemon juice, chopped parsley, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Drizzle onion slices generously with lemon sauce, and top with crabs. Pour remaining sauce over crabs. Serve with lemon wedges. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

Steps:

• For the crab cakes: Place a medium cast-iron pan over medium heat. Add the butter and shallots and sweat until softened and just starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine the crab, cracker crumbs, parsley, dill, softened shallots and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. Mix the egg, creme fraiche, mayonnaise and Dijon in a medium bowl until combined. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the crab and mix well until incorporated. Form 6 equal sized balls and flatten into discs.
• For the dredge: In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, smoked paprika, white pepper, salt, seafood seasoning and celery salt. Gently coat the exterior of each crab cake disc in the cornmeal mixture and place on a tray. Chill the crab cakes in the refrigerator for approximately 1 hour or up to 4 hours to help them stay together while cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the celery root remoulade: Meanwhile, thinly slice the celery root and apples on a mandoline and cut into matchsticks. Place both in a large bowl and cover with the lemon juice to coat so they do not brown or oxidize. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, creme fraiche, hot sauce, tarragon, Dijon and salt, then season with the pepper. Add the creme fraiche mixture to the celery root and apples and gently toss to combine. (For a thinner sauce, feel free to add more mayonnaise and adjust seasoning.)
• In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet on medium heat, then add the olive oil and butter and heat until hot. Place the crab cakes in the skillet and sear to crispy, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the cast iron to the oven for 5 minutes to warm through.
• For the pea shoot salad: Add the pea shoots and radishes to a medium bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice to coat. Add the mustard seeds, then season with salt and pepper and mix gently.
• Spread a generous amount of remoulade on a platter. Place the crab cakes on top and garnish with the salad.