Best Soft Shell Crab With Lemon Herb Butter And Spring Vegetable Ragout Recipes

SOFT-SHELL CRAB WITH LEMON BUTTER

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.

CRISPY SOFT SHELL CRABS

Steps:

• To make the succotash, combine the butter and oil in a large sauté pan over high heat and cook until the butter is melted and begins to sizzle. Add the onion and red pepper and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the corn and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the black-eyed peas, lima beans, and tomato, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the tomato softens slightly and the peas and beans are heated through, about 4 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest, green onions, and parsley. Keep warm.
• To cook the soft shell crabs, put the flour in a large shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pat the crabs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Dredge 2 of the crabs on both sides in the flour and tap off the excess. Place the crabs in the pan, upside down, and cook on each side until golden brown and just cooked through, about 7 minutes total. Wipe the pan out with paper towels and repeat with the remaining oil and crabs. Place 2 crabs on each of 4 plates and tent loosely to keep warm.
• Wipe out the pan with paper towels and return to the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and cook until it begins to turn a medium brown color, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, immediately add the lemon zest and juice and dill, and season with salt and pepper.
• Pour the sauce over the soft shell crabs and serve the succotash on the side.

BASIC VEGETABLE RAGOUT

Steps:

• In a large hot saucepan heat oil. Add onion, 1/3 of garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme and saute until onions and garlic are fragrant. Stir in zucchini, 1/3 garlic and tarragon, partially cover pan and cook for approximately 3 minutes or until zucchini has begun to soften. Stir in plum tomatoes with juice, 1/3 garlic and basil, partially cover pan and cook for 7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender. Serve over rice. Top with Parmesan.

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.