Soft shell crabs scuttle onto local restaurant menus

Soft shell crab season in South Carolina is very short and unpredictable: you may have one week – or one month – to enjoy these delicate creatures. Local restaurants started tweeting last week that their first shipments were arriving and soft shells would be on the menu until they ran out.

So what makes soft shell crab such an in-demand product? Its unpredictable availability and, when you do find it and it’s done just right, the soft shell’s delicate taste.

I talked to chef Wesley Fulmer, of Motor Supply Co. Bistro, and Bryan Tayara, of Our Local Catch, about soft shells.

Tayara told me that when the ocean water gets warm, blue crabs molt their hard shell, thus becoming soft shell crabs. The crabs are harvested before the new shells harden, making almost the entire animal edible (you do have to remove the mouth, gills and abdomen). The soft shells are then typically seasoned and deep fried. Tayara doesn’t trim off the mouth or abdomen before frying, saying “think of the whole crab as a packet of flavor. The water inside the crab is just like a tasty juice, so why get rid of it by snipping the crab before you fry it?”

Instead, prepare the crab as you normally would and cut away the mouth (at the top of the shell) and the abdomen (at the bottom of the shell) and the gills (left and right sides on top of the crab) after it arrives on your plate.

However, if you’re looking for a more restaurant-style presentation, or if you just want to be a little humane about it, Fulmer says to hold the crab out over a bowl and with kitchen shears, snip off the mouth and abdomen. Then, still holding the crab shell side up, snip along the back of the shell and gently peel open to expose the gills. Snip off the gills. Now you have a cleaned crab for preparation.

Fulmer and Tayara both agree that, as always with very fresh ingredients, the simpler the preparation, the more flavor you’ll be able to savor. With soft shells, this is especially true. I’ve included recipes from both men with the direction to make sure that you don’t overcoat the crabs in the batter. Remember that the crab is the highlight here; everything else is, well, just gravy.

For sweet pea pesto:

Vegetables:

Crabs:

Make the pesto: In a medium sauce pot, bring peas, sugar and enough water to cover to a steaming simmer. Strain and cool peas in an ice bath until cold. Strain and dry. Place peas, extra virgin olive oil, basil, garlic and lemon juice in a blender and puree until smooth. Season and set aside at room temperature.

Prepare the vegetables: With a paring knife, quarter the onions and season with salt and pepper. Saute in a pan on medium heat with the grape tomatoes and butter, until caramelized. Add thyme, peas and check seasoning.

Prepare the crab: Place flour in a medium mixing bowl and slowly whisk in the soda water until all of the flour is incorporated and the mixture is thin, barely holding on to the whisk (you may need more water).

In a 4-quart sauce pot, heat canola oil to 350 degrees. Gently dredge the crabs in the batter until lightly coated. Carefully drop crabs into hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Be very careful as the soft shell crabs to retain some water and may pop while cooking.

Remove crabs from oil and place on paper towel to cool. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble the dish: On a large serving dish, spoon out the sweet pea pesto (swirl it to be decorative, if you like). Add sauteed vegetables to the plate and then add the crab. Serve.

Chef Wesley Fulmer, Motor Supply Co. Bistro

For the remoulade:

For the crab sandwiches:

Make the remoulade: Combine the first seven ingredients in a bowl and season with Tabasco, salt and pepper. Put cabbage into a medium bowl and toss with half of the remoulade, reserving remaining sauce to drizzle over sandwiches. Cover slaw and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Fry the crabs: In a large bowl, whisk together the four, cornmeal and cayenne and season with salt and pepper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs; set aside. Add enough oil to a 5-quart pot to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350 degrees.

Coat crabs in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Dip crabs into milk mixture, shaking off excess, then coat them again in the flour mixture. Fry crabs in oil, turning once, until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

Brush cut sides of brioche buns with butter. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and toast buns for 3 minutes. Transfer buns to 2 plates and top the bottom buns with the slaw and fried crabs. Top crabs with watercress and a spoonful of reserved remoulade. Serve.

Bryan Tayara of Our Local Catch; adapted from Saveur magazine

This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Soft shell crabs scuttle onto local restaurant menus."