Ingredient Spotlight - Soft-Shell Crabs

Soft-shell crabs.  I’ve read about them, I’ve seen them, but until my last trip to my mom’s, I never tried them.  To tell you the truth, I had no idea where to start, and I found the whole concept confusing.  “Wait – it’s a crustacean, but the shell is soft?  How do I eat it?  Is it crunchy, or is it soft?  Do I eat the whole thing, or just the legs, like regular-shell crab?  Why must they look like freaky, mutated spider sci-fi creatures?!?  BAAAHHH I GIVE UP!” …and that is the mental conversation I had with myself every time I considered buying and trying soft-shell crabs. 

Soft-shell crabs are nothing more than crabs that have shed their old shells and whose new shells are still soft…hence the name “soft-shell crabs.”  Kinda self-explanatory, eh?  What isn’t self-explanatory is how to cook and eat them, so here’s the 411.  Eating them is easy; you devour the whole thing, shell, legs, body…the whole thing.  It may seem weird to eat the shell, but it’s similar to cheese in that soft cheeses are eaten as-is, while hard cheeses have a tough rind that needs to be cut away.  Same deal with crabs, apparently.  Cooking them is also a snap, just make sure to use a direct heat method or else they won’t get crunchy (click here for a very informative article).  If, like me, you are clueless about how to prepare them for cooking, it’s simple – have your fishmonger do it for you.  That’s what I did.  However, it’s not difficult – if you insist on cleaning them yourself, click here for easy-to-follow instructions! 

Truth be told, although the websites listed above and cookbooks everywhere claim that soft-shell crabs are easy to prepare and cook, I didn’t have the confidence to give it a shot until I was at my mom’s.  I’ve never handled failure very well, and maybe this is ridiculous, but I would have been very disappointed if I tried to cook them and the end result sucked.  I probably would have cried.  Combine my fear of failure with the fact that I’d feel awful that an animal died of unnatural causes just to have me desecrate it by turning it into a shitty dish, and you’ve got a recipe for culinary paralysis.  Honestly, I think I got a much needed confidence boost by tackling a cooking challenge in the company of someone who has had my back since I was an embryo.

I didn’t even comprehend the emotional aspect of my hesitation to cook soft-shell crabs until I sat down to write this post and asked myself, “How am I going to explain to my readers that I waited so long to try something?”  Sure, there’s tons of foods I haven’t tried, but this is the first situation where I’ve had access to an ingredient and shied away because I was afraid I’d f*** it up.  Guess what?  I didn’t.  The crabs were incredible, and if they weren’t so delicious and crunchy and absolutely perfect when paired with a cold IPA, I may have taken a moment to open up a can of whoop-ass on myself as penance for wussing out. 

Since I was a teenager, the advice I’ve given has always taken the form of a line from a Red Hot Chili Peppers song – “It’s better to regret something you did than something you didn’t do.”  Take this advice, especially when you’re in the kitchen or at the market.  If you want to try something, try it.  If a recipe looks complicated, conquer it.  If you don’t know what to do with an ingredient, research it.  Ask a fishmonger, a butcher, a farmer, a chef, or a friend who has an unhealthy obsession with “weird” food.  Just try it.  If you hear your little inner Yoda mumbling about “Do or do not, there is no try,” kick him to the curb.  Do try…and don’t forget to add butter. 

Soft-Shell Crabs in Beer Butter

This recipe will serve one.  If you're cooking for guests, simply multiply the proportions by the number of people you’re serving.

2 soft shell crabs

Rice flour, lightly seasoned with old bay*

¼ stick butter
1 T. minced red onion

¼ c. IPA-style beer

Salt and finely ground pepper, to taste

Lemon wedges, to serve

Rinse the crabs in cold water and pat dry with a kitchen towel.  They will still remain moist, but you don’t want them dripping.  Dredge them in the seasoned rice flour.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat.  Place the floured crabs in the pan and fry 2-3 minutes per side, or until they have turned red (hint: sometimes they tend to “pop” and splatter as their natural juices are released into the hot butter – you may want to invest in a mesh splatter screen).  Once the crabs are cooked, lift them from the pan with a spatula and set them aside on a plate. 

Lower the heat under the frying pan and lift the pan from the heat source for about 20 seconds.  Place it back on the burner and add the onion.  Cook for a minute or two, then add the beer, salt and pepper to the pan.  Whisk the beer into the butter, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Pour this sauce over the crabs, then eat them and wash them down with an ice-cold beer.    

* You can use regular wheat flour if you'd like, but rice flour delivers a better crunch and is gluten-free.