By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up
www.globalgourmets.ca michael@globalgourmts.ca
Panko Crusted Soft Shell Crab with Ginger Ponzu Sauce
This is the time of year I rush out to my local seafood store and stock up on these delectable crustaceans (They can be frozen). These highly prized delicacies are only available for a short period, usually April through June, for the best choices and are adaptable to a varietyof cuisines and cooking methods. Once properly cleaned (see instructions below) they can be deep fired, pan sautéed, grilled or broiled. One delicious dish using the soft shell crab is as a luxurious twist on Eggs Benedict with the crab sitting atop grilled cornbread and topped with your poached egg and lemony hollandaise sauce and garnished with chopped chives. The recipe this weekend however is a slightly lighter version with a citrusyAsian twist…Enjoy!
How to Clean and Prepare your Soft Shell Crabs
It’s a simple process that begins with snipping straight across the front part of the shell just behind the eyes. This is most easily done with a pair of scissors and it dispatches the crab instantly. Next, lift up each half of the top shell and remove the feathery gills, or ‘lungs’. Then, flip the crab over and pull off the lower hinged plate (the part with the point) at the bottom of the shell. That’s it — you’re done!
Ingredients
4 soft shell crabs
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1/2 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Salt & black pepper
1 box radish sprouts
Olive oil
Dipping Sauce
5 tablespoons Ponzu sauce
1/2 inch fresh ginger (grated)
Method
- Heat up vegetable oil to 300 degrees in a deep pot or deep fryer.
- Clean the crabs with water and blot them dry with paper towels.
- Coat crabs with the egg and then panko. Make sure that the crabs are well-coated with panko before you fry them.
- Deep fry each crab separately until the shell turns red and the panko becomes golden brown.
- Remove and drain crabs; set aside.
- Discard the roots of the radish sprouts.
- Season the radish sprouts with a little olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
- Mix the ponzu sauce with the grated ginger and transfer to a small serving bowl.
- On a plate, serve the crabs on a bed of radish sprouts and the ponzu sauce.
