Ingredients
- canola oil for deep frying shopping list
- 4 soft-shell crabs, cleaned and rinsed gently under cold running water shopping list
- cajun spice blend, plus more for sprinkling (I like Penzey's) shopping list
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, or more if needed shopping list
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt shopping list
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper shopping list
- 1 cage free egg shopping list
- 2 cups panko (japanese bread crumbs) shopping list
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter shopping list
- 1/3 cup minced shallots shopping list
- 8 raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined shopping list
- 3/4 cup shrimp or seafood stock (or clam juice) shopping list
- 1 cup organic heavy cream shopping list
- 1/2 pound cooked crawfish tails, peeled and seasoned with Essence shopping list
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves shopping list
- Snipped fresh chives shopping list
How to make it
- Preheat the oil in a large saucepan or deep fryer to 360 degrees F.
- Rinse crabs in water, then pat dry with paper towel. Season each crab with the cajun spice and set aside.
- Combine flour with 4 teaspoons of cajun spice, salt and ground black pepper and stir to combine well. Beat the egg with a splash of water in a shallow dish. Lay out the breadcrumbs in a separate shallow dish.
- Lightly dredge each crab in the seasoned flour, making sure that the crabs are completely coated. Dip each crab in eggwash to cover, then coat in bread crumbs.
- Holding the crabs by long tongs or balanced on a small skimmer, hold them so that the legs dangle down into the hot oil and fry for 1 minute, or until the legs are stiff. Lower the crab completely into the oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn crab over and allow to fry an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy all over. Carefully transfer crabs to paper-lined plates to drain briefly before serving. Sprinkle with more cajun spice when still hot.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and saute the shallots until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp seasoned with cajun spice blend and saute for 1 minute, or until the shrimp turn pink around the edges. remove from the pan to a bowl. Add the shrimp stock/fish stock/clam juice, bring to a boil and cook over high heat until the stock is reduced by half. Add the heavy cream and cook until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp back in, fresh thyme and snipped chives and cook until heated through. Whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and remove sauce from the heat. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve the ragu ladled over the fried softshell crabs.
People Who Like This Dish 5
- clbacon Birmingham, AL
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The Rating
Reviewed by 1 people-
Great recipe. Especially for folks who have never had Softshell... leaves plenty of leeway for creativity/additions for those who are not novices too.
PoconoBABs
in loved it
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