Craving for some crispy, buttery, and succulent seafood? Look no further than broiled soft-shell crabs, a delectable dish that combines the delicate flavor of crab with the smoky, charred goodness of broiling. This culinary gem is not only a feast for the taste buds but also a visually stunning dish.
Indulge in three tempting recipes that showcase the versatility of broiled soft-shell crabs. The classic Broiled Soft-Shell Crabs recipe offers a straightforward approach, allowing the natural flavors of the crab to shine through. For a zesty twist, try the Broiled Soft-Shell Crabs with Lemon Butter Sauce recipe, where the tangy lemon butter sauce enhances the crab's sweetness. If you prefer a bolder flavor profile, the Broiled Soft-Shell Crabs with Garlic Butter Sauce recipe delivers a savory and aromatic experience that will leave you craving more.
No matter your preference, these recipes provide step-by-step instructions to guide you through the process of preparing and cooking broiled soft-shell crabs to perfection. Detailed explanations and helpful tips ensure that even novice cooks can create this impressive dish with confidence.
So, gather your ingredients, preheat your broiler, and embark on a culinary journey that will tantalize your senses and leave you with a newfound appreciation for the wonders of the sea.
PAN-FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRABS
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
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.
GRILLED SOFT SHELL CRAB SANDWICH WITH RED SLAW AND YELLOW TOMATOES
Steps:
- For the slaw: Whisk together the ketchup, red wine vinegar, celery salt, kosher salt, black pepper and cayenne in a large bowl. Add the cabbage and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before serving. Taste for seasoning just before serving.
- For the crabs: Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high heat direct grilling. Brush both sides of the crabs with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until the crabs are just firm to the touch, 2 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the size.
- For assembly: Place 1 large or 2 small crabs on the grilled buns, top with a large spoonful of coleslaw and 2 slices of tomatoes. Serve immediately.
SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH CAPER BROWN BUTTER
Steps:
- To prepare the soft-shell crabs: Put the flour in a pie dish or plate and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Dredge the crabs in the seasoned flour to coat, shaking off the excess. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame. Lay the crabs in the hot oil in a single layer without crowding; you may have to fry them in batches. Be careful, the crabs have a tendency to pop and spatter. Cook the crabs for about 3 minutes on each side, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and cover to keep warm.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. Let the butter melt and cook until it just begins to brown. Add the capers and wine; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until almost dry. Add the lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Pour the caper brown butter sauce over the crabs and serve with lemon wedges.
SOFT-SHELL CRABS ON THE GRILL
Kick dinner up a notch with this soft-shell crab recipe, courtesy of chef Emeril Lagasse.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Appetizers
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Rinse crabs under cold running water; brush them with a small brush if necessary to remove any dirt from their shells. Twist off and discard apron. Fold back the pointed sides of the top shell to expose gills; remove gills on both sides. Using kitchen scissors, cut across the front of the crab about 1/4-inch behind the eyes and mouth; squeeze out the small sac located directly behind the mouth.
- Preheat a grill with the lid down or a grill pan over medium-high heat.
- Brush crabs with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place crabs on grill and cover. Cook, turning crabs every couple minutes and basting them with remaining olive oil, until they turn orange and are cooked through, 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from grill and serve immediately.
BROILED SOFT SHELLED CRABS
I haven't tried this recipe yet, but it sounds awfully good and it seems like a lot less work than frying.
Provided by Mercy
Categories Crab
Time 45m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Season the milk with the Old Bay, salt and pepper.
- Soak the crabs in the seasoned milk for 15 minutes then drain.
- Sprinkle each crab all over with 1 tablespoon flour.
- Brush the bottom side of each crab with melted butter.
- Broil, top side down, for 8 minutes.
- Flip them over, brush the top side with butter and broil for about 7 more minutes or until golden brown.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 253, Fat 17.4, SaturatedFat 10.8, Cholesterol 79.1, Sodium 639.9, Carbohydrate 13.4, Fiber 0.4, Sugar 0.1, Protein 10.6
SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH GARLIC AND BUTTER
Provided by Food Network
Categories appetizer
Time 32m
Yield 3 appetizer servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Season crabs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the oil and saute the crabs until soft, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the crabs and set aside. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add the capers and white wine. Cook until wine has reduced to about 1/2. Swirl in the butter and the chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer crabs to a plate, spoon sauce over the crabs and garnish with Essence.
- Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
- Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.
BBQ SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH GRILLED VIDALIA ONIONS
Steps:
- Melt margarine over low-medium heat and add olive oil, salt, pepper, hot sauce, lemon juice, and bacon. Simmer for 2 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Place the cleaned crabs on plate. Liberally coat the crabs with the sauce, making sure to lift the sides of the shell to coat the meat inside. Save remaining sauce for basting. Cover the crabs and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Heat grill to medium-low.
- Place crabs on grill topside down. Baste with remaining sauce while they cook. Cook crabs about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. The crab will crisp on the outside and the meat inside will turn white.
- Remove from grill and serve topped with Grilled Vidalia Onions.
- Heat griddle or nonstick pan over medium-high heat.
- Peel onions and cut into thin rings. Toss rings with seasoning and olive oil.
- Cook until onions turn clear and start to caramelize. Serve over grilled crab.
BROILED SOFT-SHELL CRABS
Provided by Mark Bittman
Categories easy, lunch, quick, main course
Time 15m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Heat broiler, placing rack just beneath the heat source. Heat a large nonstick roasting pan under broiler for about 10 minutes.
- Place crabs, top shell up, in heated pan. Broil until firm and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 45, UnsaturatedFat 0 grams, Carbohydrate 3 grams, Fat 1 gram, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 8 grams, SaturatedFat 0 grams, Sodium 165 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram
PASTA WITH SOFT SHELL CRABS
Provided by Food Network
Time 30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a very deep skillet or broad saucepan, warm oil, garlic, and chile flakes over low heat; do not let garlic brown. When garlic is soft, at least 5 minutes, add crabs (keep heat low to medium low; liquid in pan should barely bubble) and cover. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
- Let the crabs cook until they give up all their liquid and become firm, about 15 minutes. When crabs are almost done, begin cooking pasta. When crabs are done, use tongs to remove them and hold them while cutting up with scissors. Return to pan.
- Drain pasta when it is barely tender, a little short of how you'd want to eat it, reserving some cooking water. Add pasta to crabs and toss together over medium heat with pan juices and black pepper, adding some cooking water and a little more oil if necessary. (The amount of each will depend on how much more cooking the pasta needs, and how much liquid the crabs exuded.) Add parsley, taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. When pasta is perfectly cooked, serve.
BROILED OR GRILLED SOFTSHELL CRABS
Though you can just shove the crabs under the broiler in this recipe, this slightly more complicated procedure works best: Preheat a large roasting pan in the broiler for ten minutes or so. When you're ready to cook, put the crabs in the pan, adjusting the broiler rack so that it's two or three inches from the heat source or as close as you can get it (in my oven, this means propping the roasting pan on top of another pan). The crabs will be done in less than 5 minutes. Remember that some oven broilers work best if the door is ajar, which will keep the element from cycling off and make cooking time faster, not slower.
Yield makes 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Preheat the broiler, adjusting the rack so that it is just beneath the heat source; put a large nonstick roasting pan or skillet in there to heat up for about 10 minutes. Or start a grill, adjusting the rack so that it is about 4 inches from the coals.
- To broil, place the crabs, top shell up, in the pan. Broil until they are firm and their tops lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Brush lightly with olive oil if you like, sprinkle with salt, and serve with lemon wedges.
- To grill, brush the crabs with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill, turning once or twice, until browned and firm, 5 to 10 minutes. Brush with olive oil and serve with lemon or, if you like, melted butter.
GRILLED SOFT-SHELL CRABS
Provided by Food Network
Time 35m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Clean crabs by removing gills and cutting off the eyes and mouth.
- Place crabs on pan or aluminum foil. Place on grill over a low fire. Baste the crabs with the Lemon Butter Sauce. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Continue to baste during cooking. Before serving, top each crab with a slice of tomato and a small amount of mozzarella cheese. Allow cheese to melt. Remove from grill. Serve immediately.
- Add lemon juice and other seasonings. Seasonings may be adjusted for personal taste. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes.
SOFT-SHELL CRAB TOAST
Broiling is perhaps the easiest way to cook soft shell crabs. All you do is oil up the crabs, lay them on a baking sheet and broil them until crisp and bronzed on both sides - under 10 minutes. It's also one of the tastiest ways to cook them: their edges crisp and char while their bellies swell with sweet, saline juices. Here, the broiled crabs are laid on toast and served as open-faced sandwiches. The toast absorbs the crab juices and also heightens the crunch. If you're pressed for time, or if you're a purist, you can skip the parsley jalapeño sauce. A lemon wedge is all you really need to bring out the sweetness of the crab.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories quick, appetizer, main course
Time 20m
Yield 6 appetizer servings, or 3 main course servings
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a blender, combine parsley, jalapeño, lemon juice and salt. Add oil and 3 tablespoons water. Purée until sauce is smooth, adding additional water if needed, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a thick yet pourable sauce. Transfer sauce to a bowl and add more salt or lemon juice, or both, if needed.
- Heat broiler. Place bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil, turning once, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Rub toast with cut garlic. Drizzle with oil or slather with butter (butter is nice on pain de mie), remove from pan and set aside.
- Lightly coat crabs with oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer, belly side up, to a large baking sheet (you can use the same one you used for the toast). Broil, turning once, until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes per side.
- Place one crab on top of each toast. Spoon a generous amount of sauce over each crab and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 322, UnsaturatedFat 16 grams, Carbohydrate 16 grams, Fat 20 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 19 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 408 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams, TransFat 0 grams
GRILLED SOFT-SHELL CRABS
Provided by Moira Hodgson
Categories dinner, easy, lunch, quick, main course
Time 35m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Place the shallots in a saucepan with the lime juice and port. Reduce over medium heat until two tablespoons of sauce remain (five to seven minutes). Add heavy cream and grated ginger. Bring to a boil and reduce by a third to three tablespoons.
- Reduce heat to very low and whisk in the butter, a small piece at a time. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and add a few more drops of lime juice if necessary. Keep warm (be careful not to overheat or the sauce may curdle).
- Preheat broiler or outdoor grill.
- Brush the crabs with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill three to four minutes on each side, until crisp and a deep reddish brown.
- Arrange the crabs on a serving platter, drizzle sauce over them and sprinkle with scallions and coriander.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 420, UnsaturatedFat 15 grams, Carbohydrate 7 grams, Fat 38 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 9 grams, SaturatedFat 20 grams, Sodium 357 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 1 gram
Tips for Perfectly Broiled Soft-Shell Crabs:
- Select Fresh Crabs: Choose crabs that are alive and have a firm shell, indicating freshness.
- Proper Cleaning: Gently clean the crabs by removing the gills and entrails. Rinse thoroughly to eliminate any grit or sand.
- Seasoning and Coating: Season the crabs with a flavorful blend of spices, herbs, and salt. Consider using a light coating of flour or breadcrumbs to enhance texture.
- Melt Butter: Before broiling, melt butter and brush it onto the crabs to add richness and prevent sticking.
- Broiling Technique: Preheat your broiler and place the crabs on a well-oiled baking sheet. Broil for a few minutes on each side, keeping a close eye to avoid overcooking.
- Monitor Cooking Time: Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the crabs. Check for doneness by gently inserting a toothpick or skewer into the thickest part of the crab. It should come out easily when the crab is cooked.
- Garnish and Serve: Once cooked, transfer the crabs to a serving platter and garnish with lemon wedges, fresh herbs, or melted butter. Serve immediately while they're hot and crispy.
Conclusion:
Broiled soft-shell crabs are a delightful delicacy that can be enjoyed as an appetizer or main course. By following these tips, you can create perfectly cooked soft-shell crabs with a tender interior and a crispy, flavorful exterior. Experiment with different seasonings and coatings to find your favorite combination. Serve with your preferred dipping sauce and enjoy the unique taste of these succulent seafood treats.
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