Best Soft Shelled Crabs Meunière Recipes

PAN-FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRABS

Pan-Fried Soft-Shell Crabs image

Ask your fishmonger to clean soft-shell crabs for you. Crabs should be cooked no more than six hours after they are cleaned.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Seafood Recipes

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 soft-shell crabs, cleaned
12 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
3 lemons, cut in half

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 sautÃ© pan over medium-high heat. The oil should be very hot but not smoking. Place flour-coated crabs, back side down, in sautÃ© pan; reduce heat to medium if pan starts to smoke. SautÃ© 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.

SOFT-SHELL CRABS MEUNIERE WITH HAZELNUTS

Soft-Shell Crabs Meuniere With Hazelnuts image

Provided by Moira Hodgson

Categories dinner, project, main course

Time 20m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

8 ready-to-cook soft-shell crabs
Milk for dipping
Flour for dredging
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons sliced roasted hazelnuts
2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped
4 lemon wedges

Steps:

Dip crabs in milk, then in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat butter in a large skillet and saute the crabs, starting with the shell side down first for two minutes. Turn over and saute for one and a half to two minutes on the other side. Drain on paper towels.
Add hazelnuts and hazelnut oil to pan and scrape up cooking juices. Serve crabs immediately with pan juices and nuts poured over them. Garnish with herbs and lemon wedges.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 246, UnsaturatedFat 16 grams, Carbohydrate 4 grams, Fat 22 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 10 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Sodium 186 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram, TransFat 0 grams