Fried Soft Shell Crabs With A Shellfish Ragu Recipe
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
- 8 x soft-shell crabs cleaned, and rinsed gently under cool running water
- 4 Tbsp. Essence plus
- 1 tsp Essence plus more for sprinkling (see Bayou Blast recipe)
- 1 c. all-purpose flour or possibly more if needed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly-grnd black pepper
- 1 x egg
- 2 c. bread crumbs
- 6 Tbsp. butter
- 1/3 c. chopped shallots
- 1/2 lb raw shrimp peeled, deveined
- 3/4 c. shrimp or possibly seafood stock
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 1/2 lb cooked crawfish tails peeled, and seasoned with Essence
- 1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves Snipped chives
Directions
- Preheat the oil in a large saucepan or possibly deep fryer to 360 degrees.
- Rinse crabs in water, then pat dry with paper towel. Season each crab with 1 tsp. of the Essence and set aside.
- Combine flour with 4 tsp. of the remaining Essence, salt and grnd black pepper and stir to combine well. Beat the egg with a splash of water in a shallow dish. Lay out the breadcrumbs in a separate shallow dish.
- Lightly dredge each crab in the seasoned flour, making sure which the crabs are completely coated. Dip each crab in eggwash to cover, then coat in bread crumbs.
- Holding the crabs by long tongs or possibly balanced on a small skimmer, hold them so which the legs dangle down into the warm oil and fry for 1 minute, or possibly till the legs are stiff. Lower the crab completely into the oil and fry till golden, about 2 to 3 min. Turn crab over and allow to fry an additional 2 to 3 min, or possibly till golden and crispy all over. Carefully transfer crabs to paper-lined plates to drain briefly before serving. Sprinkle with Essence when still warm.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat heat 2 Tbsp. of the butter and saute/fry the shallots till soft, about 2 min. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in the shrimp and the remaining tsp. of Essence and saute/fry for 1 minute, or possibly till the shrimp turn pink around the edges. Add in the shrimp stock, bring to a boil and cook over high heat till the stock is reduced by half. Add in the heavy cream and cook till sauce is thick sufficient to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 min. Add in the crawfish tails, fresh thyme and snipped chives and cook till heated through. Whisk in the remaining 4 Tbsp. of butter and remove sauce from the heat. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve the ragu ladled over the fried softshell crabs.
- This recipe yields 4 servings.
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Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 317g | |
| Recipe makes 4 servings | |
| Calories 756 | |
| Calories from Fat 308 | 41% |
| Total Fat 34.95g | 44% |
| Saturated Fat 19.32g | 77% |
| Trans Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 348mg | 116% |
| Sodium 1022mg | 43% |
| Potassium 557mg | 16% |
| Total Carbs 66.57g | 18% |
| Dietary Fiber 3.3g | 11% |
| Sugars 3.56g | 2% |
| Protein 41.86g | 67% |
