Soft Shell Crab with Asparagus, Jicama, Reggiano Salad

Aaah.  The first soft shell crab of the year.  Soft shells are the perfect expression of spring - rich yet light, flavorful yet delicate, and not to be seen again in this perfect state beyond a few months from now. 

Big thick batters on soft shells? No.  Tempura crusted? Wrong.  Bold flavors that compete with the crisp texture and soft meat? Banned in my home.

Simple is best with the soft shell.  All you need to do is make sure the crab is well dried (with paper towels) and well seasoned, the oil hot, and you avoid flipping more than once.  The crispy texture of the shell is a perfect counterpoint to the sweet meat.  Also, make sure to hit it with a little lemon juice - the acidic note is a great counterpoint to the richness of the crab. 

I enjoy serving soft shells with simple expressions of spring.  In this case, I blanch and thinly slice asparagus in a salad with the crispy freshness of jicama and shards of parmigiano reggiano.  If the traditional side of your brain starts short circuiting about serving cheese with fish, just tell yourself to live a little. 

My full recipe follows..........

1 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium soft-shell crabs, cleaned and rinsed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Grape seed or vegetable oil
8 medium thickness stalks of asparagus
1 jicama
1 chunk of parmigiano reggiano
1 Lemon

Make the Asparagus Salad:

Break off the bottom stems from the asparagus.  This salad was made in order to use the tops for another recipe. so chop them off and reserve for another dish.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, blanch the asparagus for about 3-4 minutes, or until they are just crisp-tender. Drain the asparagus, transfer to a bowl of ice water for only 30 seconds to stop the cooking, then drain well. Let rest on paper towels for a few minutes.   Slice the asparagus in half lengthwise.  Slice each half into thin little matchsticks. Do this for all the asparagus.  Slice a quarter off the large jicama and peel the skin from the smaller piece.  Slcie into matchstick slices similar to the size of the asparagus.  Take out your piece of parmigiano reggiano and slice thin shards with a vegetable peeler.  Place all the asparagus, jicama and cheese into a bowl.  Drizzle twith olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.  Reserve at room temp.
 
Make the Soft Shelled Crabs:

Put about a cup of  flour on a plate.  Take out your soft shell crabs and dry profusely.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Dredge the crab in the flour to coat, shaking off the excess. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame. Lay the crabs in the hot oil, SHELL SIDE DOWN, in a single layer without crowding; only do two at a time as not to crowd them.   Be careful, the crabs have a tendency to pop and spatter. Cook the crabs on the shell side for about 3 AND 1/2 minutes.  Flip once and turn off the heat.  Let rest for about a minute and a half.   Squeeze lemon juice on each side and plate right away.

Finish the Dish:

Place a mound of the asparagus salad on the plate.  You can slice the crab in half for the presentation above, or just place the whole crab on the plate and serve.

Comments

[Lana]

hey! i'm new to your site, discovered it yesterday and have been slowly combing my way through its depths of archives and even venturing into the gothamist territory to find more of your writings. this blog is truely a wonderous treat for a foodie and the recipes you come up with are amazing.

i love crab but must admit i've actually never made it for myself. soft shell crabs are truely a treat, especially in spring; i must try this one out on my boyfriend!

[joe]

hi lana, welcome aboard! let me know if you give anything on the site a try - i love the feedback. the soft shells are so easy to make - give it a shot!

[s'kat]

Joe, I'm really feeling this salad. Did you know that Seriously Good is running a month-long round-up of all things asparagus?

Check it out here: http://seriouslygood.kdweeks.com/2006/04/asparagus-aspirations.html.

[joe]

thanks s'kat.

i didn't know about the seriously good roundup, but i just sent this link through as a contribution. thanks for the suggestion!

[tman]

add a little olive oil and salt on your softshell and then pop it on a hot grill for 3 minutes per side. add a chipotle-gherkin spread and pop it on a roll. you'll never eat a fried softshell again.

[Big Bear]

I REALLY wish that you would remove that disgusting mutilated photo of Mrs. Sandra Lee from your website. You are apparently just like my GF "chiffOnade" . . . jealous of Mrs. Lee's tremendous success.

Sandra is a gracious, beautiful, person who devotes her life to helping the harried mothers of the world prepare good meals for their families.

My girlfriend Louise ("chiff0nade") is simply insanely jealous of her. What is YOUR problem with her?

Big Bear

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[eyeglasses in an hour]

Soft shells; delicious. Not so much on the asparagus though.

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add a little olive oil and salt on your softshell and then pop it on a hot grill for 3 minutes per side