How do you prepare Soft Shell Crabs?
I purchased "Live" Soft Shell Crabs and wanted to make a recipe that calls for frying them - what are the steps involved?
Best Answer
First, clean them. You basically just remove the stuff that you don't (normally) eat from a hard shell crab.
Using some kitchen shears just remove the following:
- Their face. Just one snip should take off their mouth and eyes. You have to cut it at an angle.
- Their gills. Peel back their shells and cut the gills off. There is a set per side.
- The apron. This is the triangular tail like thing under the crab. Just turn it over and cut it off.
Then you can just dredge them in seasoned flour and fry in hot oil (375 F).
Update
I found a video showing how: http://www.chow.com/stories/11245 He uses his hands for the apron and gills.
As far as "putting it out of it's misery", I'd go with the face cut first. It still twitches afterwards, but that's as good as it gets. If it really bothers you, I suggest eating something else, or having someone else prepare it for you.
Pictures about "How do you prepare Soft Shell Crabs?"
Do you need to clean soft shell crab?
Fresh softshells don't have to be cleaned. All parts are edible if the crab is cooked alive. If you plan to keep crabs for more than a few hours, however, you should clean them. Ask your fishmonger to do it for you\u2014or prepare them yourself, using this simple method.Do you eat the entire soft shell crab?
So, can you really eat the whole shell? According to Ingber, "the whole soft shell is edible\u2014and delicious." When it comes to cooking methods, he prepares the crabs a variety of ways: saut\xe9ed, fried or even grilled.Why do you soak soft shell crabs in milk?
Soaking the crabs in milk helps plump them up when cooked. Combining butter and oil results in crispy crabs.Do you eat the guts of soft shell crab?
Because saut\xe9ed in butter or deep-fried, soft-shell crabs are everything \u2014 crispy, tender and with a sweet kiss of sea mist to boot. These crustaceans are one of nature's all-you-can-eat delights, since, except for the face and a couple other icky parts, you eat it all \u2014 body, claws, shell \u2014 the whole shebang.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Klaus Nielsen, Klaus Nielsen, Gustavo Fring, Klaus Nielsen