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Fried Soft-Shell Crabs
Wash always in cold water, as hot water spoils flavor. Remove all sand, also sand bag between eyes, "apron" and the spongy growths under side points. Rinse well again in cold water and dry thoroughly with clean towel. Season a pint rich milk well with pepper and salt. Season crabs also; lay them in milk, rubbing them so it may impregnate them throughout. Take out, roll in sifted flour, patting lightly as you roll, shaking free of loose flour. Have deep fat, very hot--it must be deep enough to swim crabs. Drop them gently, fry to delicate brown, skim out, drain on hot, brown paper, and serve garnished with fried parsley and sliced lemon. Serve with tartar sauce. Allow one large crab to a serving.
A clear, well-ordered method that needs little more than a thermometer and a lid. The cleaning steps described are still exactly what a fishmonger does, and the crabs must be alive until that moment.
- Buy them aliveSoft-shells are sold live and deteriorate very fast once killed. Have them cleaned at the counter within a few hours of cooking, or clean them yourself immediately before frying; a dead uncleaned crab should be discarded.
- What comes offThe "sand bag" is the stomach sac behind the eyes, removed by snipping off the face; the "apron" is the folded flap on the underside; the "spongy growths under side points" are the gills, exposed by lifting each shell point. Everything else is eaten.
- Fat temperature"Very hot" deep fat here means 350-375F. Below that the crabs absorb oil and the coating slackens; much above and the flour scorches before the body heats through.
- SpatterSoft-shells hold water and pop violently in hot fat. Dry them as thoroughly as the recipe insists, add them one at a time with tongs, and keep a spatter screen or a lid at hand rather than a tight cover, which would steam the crust.
- TimingThe original gives none. Roughly two to three minutes for a medium crab and three to four for a large one; because the fat is deep enough to swim them they need no turning. They are done at a deep golden brown, and overcooking dries the body meat.
- The milk soakA pint of well-seasoned milk will cover roughly four to six crabs. The recipe gives no soaking time; a short dip with the rubbing it describes is enough, and long soaking in salted milk will draw moisture out of the meat.
- Draining"Hot, brown paper" means unglazed kitchen paper warmed in the oven. A wire rack set over a sheet pan in a 200F oven does the job better and keeps the underside from going soft.
- Fried parsleyDry parsley sprigs dropped into the same fat for about fifteen seconds turn bright green and crisp. They must be bone dry or they will erupt.
- YieldOne large crab per person as written is a light serving by modern portions; two is usual for a main course, with tartar sauce and lemon.