Soft-Shell Crab Sandwich
When in season, soft-shell crabs are a big seller in all of our restaurants. People just love them. We make a light batter, fry them nice and crisp, and set them over a salad for our guests. During one of my trips to Baltimore, I wanted to go visit Crisfield Seafood in Silver Spring, Maryland, known for its soft-shell crab sandwich. The experience was good: the soft-shell crab, nice and crispy, was the best part; the sesame bun and the coleslaw were the usual suspects. In this recipe I’ve added my own twist to the bread and ingredients. Get a good semolina roll, and top the crabs with an arugula-and-egg salad, an Italian American solution. If you want to serve this as a salad, double the salad and dressing and omit the rolls. Serve crabs on top of the greens, with dressing dolloped on the side.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the head of garlic on a square of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap the foil to seal. Roast in oven until the garlic is tender throughout, about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the garlic head. Let cool, then squeeze garlic cloves into the work bowl of a mini–food processor.
Step 2
To make the dressing, pour 6 tablespoons olive oil, hard-boiled egg yolks, mustard, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the horseradish, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt into the food processor. Process to make a smooth dressing, scraping down the sides of the work bowl as needed. Set dressing aside while you cook the crabs.
Step 3
For the crabs: Heat 1/4 inch vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Spread cornmeal on a plate. With a little water still clinging to the rinsed, cleaned crabs, dredge in the cornmeal, tapping off the excess. Add the crabs to skillet, and cook until browned and crisp on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes. (Be careful—the water in the crabs may cause the oil to splatter.) Turn, and cook until crabs are cooked through and crisp on the outside, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Drain crabs on a paper-towel-lined plate.
Step 4
To serve, put arugula and chopped egg whites in a large bowl, and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread most of the dressing on the bottom of the rolls. Top with a crab and the arugula salad. Spread remaining dressing on the inside of the tops of the rolls, make sandwiches, and serve while the crabs are still hot.
notes
Step 5
If you want to clean the soft-shells yourself, snip off the tip of the face with scissors, then cut out the spongy gills inside the sides of the bodies.
