These crabs are fried to a light crisp, and you can eat the whole crab. It is my favorite food.
Well I have to admit I did not use the egg or milk, just used seasoned flour and pan fried to a golden brown. I was afraid that the egg and milk would create to thick of a crust, and that would take away from the wonderful crab taste.
Read MoreWell I have to admit I did not use the egg or milk, just used seasoned flour and pan fried to a golden brown. I was afraid that the egg and milk would create to thick of a crust, and that would take away from the wonderful crab taste.
I'm the queen of soft shell crabs and look forward to eating them every summer. So far, I've eaten about ten! I normally just dredge my crabs in seasoned flour and fry. This was a nice change and I really enjoyed these little critters. For added flavor I did season the flour with garlic and onion powders and a bit of cayenne. If you've never eaten one, give this a shot and please note that any good fish market will happily clean the crabs for you. Thanks WesBryant and happy eating!
I loved this recipe -- it was so simple. The only thing I added was the Old Bay Seasoning to give it a little bite.
This was something completely new for DH and me! We live just a couple of miles from Puget Sound and have eaten more than our share of fresh Dungeness... but fresh soft shelled crab is not something that we can seem to find out here. BUT, I found some frozen ones and decided to take a chance! Well, I'm glad I did because they are AWESOME! I thawed them slowly in the fridge and then unwrapped them (they were IQF, luckily!) and put them on a clean, dry kitchen towel, folded over on top of them so that they were covered top and bottom, for an hour to soak up some of the moisture (they were VERY wet when thawed). I then put them in the fridge, towel and all, until dinner time a couple of hours later. I used the egg-milk blend and put a little Old Bay into the flour. I fried them in fresh canola oil. I made two each for DH and me... (with homemade tartar sauce) as well as a small piece of strip (NY) steak and some french fries. A truly delicious meal! It's been a couple of days and DH is still commenting on how juicy and crispy those crab were! Thanks for the recipe, Wes!
OMG! This was the best recipe. Followed to a tee. Before, I only used flour, salt and pepper for a light coating. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. Old recipe gone ~ new recipe in! Thank you so much for sharing. Real KEEPER!
These were GREAT! Be careful though--I defrosted mine in water because I was in a hurry--some of the legs and claws fell off as I was battering. Next time I will make enough time to defrost slowly. I added Old Bay as well as others had. Eat immediately after preparing!
SO easy and SO yummy! LOVE this recipe! I now have the confidence to make this again and again! Thank you! :)
This was a very simple recipe to which I made a few changes. My son & I enjoyed the soft shelled crab, wishing I had bought more to prepare. I added salt, garlic powder, and oregano to flour mixture. Used 2 Tbspn of oil to fry 2 soft-shell crabs. Didn't use milk, only beaten egg before dipping into flour mixture. Will definitely use this recipe again.
I made these last night as it was the first time I was able to get soft-shells at my fish monger's. Just great served on toasted rolls with lettuce and tomato with just a touch of mayo! I seasoned the flour with salt and pepper and a bit of Old Bay seasoning. Yum...
One of my familys favorite foods. These are sooooo good on fresh bread with tomatoe and lettuce!!
First time to try soft shell crabs. Double dipped in flour because I like a good coating... came out great.
This is a very good recipe and is easy to make. It is close to the same as we serve in my restaurant with a few exceptions. but all in all very good and very tasty.
Wow! This is an easy straightforward recipe! If you buy the crabs and have them cleaned by the fish monger this the rest takes no time. A cross between a light sauté and deep batter fried. Nice crunch and taste!
Delicious! I did everything as stated, but I added some seafood seasoning to the batter. Couldn't be easier!
This was delicious. I added old bay seasoning and used bread crumbs after the eggs. GREAAAAT.
Excellent recipe! However, we did substitute rice flour for the all-purpose flour, which made for a much lighter and fluffier crusting. Next time we are also considering Panko crumbs.
This is the same recipe that i use and it is spectactular! I brings out the natural flavor of the crab which is rich and sweet!
This is how we make them on the Chesapeake Bay. The egg and milk simply help the coating and seasoning stick to the crab and do not make a heavy crust or add/detract. Good cleaning instructions for anyone new to soft crabs.
A good basic recipe, works every time. I add Old Bay and a few other little touches--Maryland style. A mix of corn meal and flour works very well, too. The details of dressing the crab are exactly right. Now that IQF soft shells are available, I can have them anytime I want.
This recipe was great! I had never done anything like this before and the recipe and instructions were easy to follow and the results were delicious!
Delicious! This was a hit with my friends as well as my gluten-free friends when I made it with the gluten-free flour for them. This simple recipe allows you to add creole spices for your soft shell crab po' boys or just simple salt & pepper to pair with your favorite Asian sauce! (in the photo is a wasabi mayo)
YUM YUM, just cooked fresh softies right out of Chesapeake Bay in MD. This recipe is perfect and if you do not like it you must not be a true crab lover !!! Could eat softies everyday breakfast, lunch and dinner.. Be careful not to over cook
My family & I love eating soft shell crab. 1st time I want to fried it myself & I'm using this recipe. It did not failed me! very glad with the outcome. I'll using this recipe for any deep fry food!
Soft shells are one of my favorite foods and I've tried many top rated recipes and this is by far the best! Just make sure your oil is the right temp before dropping them in.
As a native of Maryland, I have enjoyed the bounty of the Chesapeake Bay my whole life. I love hard and soft shell crab. This was my first time actually preparing soft shell crab. The only changes I made to this recipe was to add some Old Bay (it's a Maryland thing)and I used egg white and light milk - very light wash. They turned out PERFECT! Everyone who indulged loved them!
Pretty good but after my first attempt I sub'd Wondra Flour for Starch. Starch gave it a gummy Texture and strange taste.
So. . Good. Seasoned the flour, as mentioned in other reviews, and it was excellent.
needs WAY more spices in the flour mix but other than that easy and love the crab!
I followed this recipe, which was excellent. They came out a nice golden-brown. I topped with some tartar sauce that I mixed With Old Bay seasoning. Truly Maryland all the way.
I tried a sauteed soft shell recipe in olive oil and it was good but this deep fried version was, as Guy would say, "Off the hook". This the only way I will fix them from now on.
LOVE SOFT-SHELLS! My crabs were already cleaned. Other than that, I had no changes. The cooking time is perfect. Thank you WESTBRYANT for sharing your recipe!
