Best Chez Marcelles Stuffed Soft Shell Crabs Recipes

SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH CAPER BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• To prepare the soft-shell crabs: Put the flour in a pie dish or plate and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Dredge the crabs in the seasoned flour to coat, shaking off the excess. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame. Lay the crabs in the hot oil in a single layer without crowding; you may have to fry them in batches. Be careful, the crabs have a tendency to pop and spatter. Cook the crabs for about 3 minutes on each side, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and cover to keep warm.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. Let the butter melt and cook until it just begins to brown. Add the capers and wine; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until almost dry. Add the lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Pour the caper brown butter sauce over the crabs and serve with lemon wedges.

CHEZ MARCELLE'S STUFFED SOFT-SHELL CRABS

Steps:

• Cook green onions, garlic, crab and shrimp in white wine about three minutes. Add pimentos, mushrooms, cayenne, white pepper and salt and bread crumbs and cook a minute or two longer. Stir in yolks.
• Chill stuffing for about 1 hour, until firm. Carefully stuff each side cavity of crabs with mixture.
• Season crabs with salt, white pepper and cayenne. Dredge in flour; dip in a mixture of buttermilk and eggs, then in cracker meal, breading each leg individually.
• Heat oil in deep pot to 375 degrees. Deep fry a few crabs at a time until golden brown on both sides.
• Serve crabs with Creolaise sauce. Garnish with lemon and fried parsley.

MAC AND CHEESE-STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring the half-and-half to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the American cheese and cream cheese until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Cheddar, mustard, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Put 1/2 cup sauce each into 2 medium bowls. Pour the remaining sauce into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish, spreading it into an even layer.
• Cook the large shells according to the package directions. Transfer with a slotted spoon to one of the medium bowls and toss to coat with the sauce. Cook the small shells in the same pot of water according to the package directions. Drain well, then transfer to the remaining medium bowl and toss to coat with the sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spoon the small shells into the big shells and line them up neatly in the baking dish, nestling them in the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the cheese crackers. Bake until hot through, bubbling and the crackers are starting to brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

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.

SOFT-SHELLED CRABS MEUNIèRE

Steps:

• Combine milk, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish and soak crabs 5 minutes. Lift 1 crab out of milk, letting excess drip off, and dredge in flour. Knock off excess flour and transfer to a tray. Repeat with remaining crabs, arranging them in 1 layer as coated.
• Heat clarified butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté crabs, upside down, 2 minutes. Turn over and sauté until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Transfer crabs to a serving dish. Add butter pieces to skillet and cook until golden brown with a nutty aroma. Add lemon juice and parsley (mixture will bubble up) and remove from heat.
• Season sauce with salt and pepper and drizzle over crabs.

STUFFED CRABS (NEW ORLEANS)

Steps:

• Soak buns in milk and egg mixture.
• Saute celery, onions (not green), garlic and bell pepper in a heavy pot in the butter until wilted.
• Add worcestershire sauce, crabmeat and season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne.
• Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add green onions.
• Then add buns.
• Mix well.
• Stuff crab shells (artificial).
• Sprinkle tops with bread crumbs and bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until brown.

FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRAB

Steps:

• Clean each crab. Lift one pointed side of top shell and remove the gills by pulling them out. Put top shell back down and repeat on other side. On the bottom side remove tail flap by twisting and pulling off. Using a pair of scissors, remove the face by cutting behind the eyes. Rinse the crabs thoroughly with cold water. Dry on paper towels.
• Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F (180 degrees F). In a shallow dish, whisk together the egg and milk using a fork. In a separate bowl, stir salt and pepper into the flour. Lightly salt the crab, then dip in the flour, dip in the egg, then in the flour again.
• Carefully place crabs into the deep-fryer. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Carefully turn over, and cook until golden on the other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve as soon as they are cool enough to eat. You can eat the whole crab.

STUFFED SOFT-SHELL CRAB

Steps:

• To clean crabs, remove spongy substance (gills) the lies under the tapering points on either side of back shell. Place crabs on back, and remove the small piece at lower part of shell that terminates in a point (apron). Wash crabs thoroughly;drain well.
• Remove any cartilage or shell from crabmeat. Combine crabmeat and next 7 ingredients, mix well. Stuff crabmeat mixture evenly into cavity of each crab, dredge crabs in flour. Fry crabs in deep hot oil (375F) for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve right away.