photo by Stephanie Nass
Timing is everything for soft-shell crabs. They only come around during the summer when the blue crab casts away its hard shell. The shedding process takes up to three hours, but once the crab has molted, there's only a two-to-three hour window to catch these crabs before its shell starts to harden again.
For this prized catch, I've reconstructed its shell two ways. First, a quick rinse in tempura batter gives the crab a snap-crackle-pop-type bite, while the potato-stick crust creates a chip-like crunch. The star of this dish is the crispy crab, and could be simply paired with tartar sauce, but I like to notch it up with a drizzle of citrus beurre blanc, sorrel sprigs, orange slices, and pickled ramps.
Serves 2
What You'll Need:
4 ea. Idaho Potatoes
Wondra Flour, for dusting
Kosher Salt, to taste
1 cup Clarified Butter, for frying
4 ea. Prime Soft-Shell Crabs, cleaned
Beurre Blanc, for serving
Pickled Ramps, for serving
½ Orange, segmented
½ Lemon, for serving
Maldon Sea Salt, for serving
For the Tempura Batter:
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1.5 cups Sparkling Water
Kosher Salt, to taste
For the Pickled Ramps:
2 cups Water
½ cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp. Sugar
¼ lb. Ramps, trimmed
How to Make it:
1. Peel potatoes and shred into 1/8" potato sticks using a mandolin. Squeeze dry shredded potatoes to remove any excess water. Season and toss with Wondra flour. Separate potatoes into eight piles; set aside.
2. In the interim, make the tempura batter: whisk sparkling water into flour until smooth; set aside.
3. Heat clarified butter in a large sauté pan until hot. Dip crabs in batter and par cook on each side until batter starts to form, about 10 seconds. Remove and drain on a towel-lined plate. Season to taste.
4. Place crabs on top of one potato pile per crab; top with another potato pile so the crab is sandwiched. Using a fish spatula, return to sauté pan and fry both sides until potatoes are golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.
5. Plate two per plate, drizzle with beurre blanc, lemon juice and sea salt. Serve with pickled ramps, sorrel and oranges.
For Pickled Ramps:
Bring all ingredients except ramps to a boil; place ramps in a bowl and pour brine over them. Let cool and pickle for at least 4 hours or overnight. This can be made a day ahead.