Parmesan-Crusted Soft Shell Crab Sandwiches

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Up where we live, these puppies come from Maryland; they’re only available for a few weeks, so you have to grab them while you can. And, yes – if you’ve never had one before – you do eat the whole thing!

Serves 4

Ingredients: Sandwiches    

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp salt  
¼ tsp black pepper
2 eggs lightly beaten
½ cup water

 1/8 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
1 cup peanut or vegetable oil
4 large or 8 small soft shell crabs, cleaned
4 sandwich rolls
2 medium tomatoes
4 oz. arugula leaves 

Ingredients: Faux Remoulade Sauce

Fresh thyme, enough for ½ tsp chopped
2 scallions
¾ cup sour cream
¼ cup chili sauce
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp Maggi
2 tsp lemon juice

 1½ tsp harissa
½ tsp Old Bay seasoning
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
2-4 tablespoons (to taste) horseradish 

Instructions

  1. Put 1 cup of the flour in a shallow dish.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the other cup of the flour with the Parmesan, salt and pepper.
  3. Lightly beat the eggs. Add ½ cup water, and Tabasco/hot sauce. Beat a little more to combine.
  4. Make a well in the center of the flour, and add the egg mixture. Stir together gradually with a fork, incorporating the liquid into the flour mixture to form a thick, but smooth and flowing batter. Use a little more water, if necessary. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Chop the thyme leaves to obtain ½ tsp. Trim, wash and thinly slice the scallions. Mix all sauce ingredients together in a bowl, adding horseradish to taste.
  6. Preheat the oven to 250°F. In a large skillet, heat the oil over moderately high heat to 350°F. If the batter has gotten too thick, thin it out with a little water. Slice the tomato. Wash and spin or pat dry the arugula.
  7. Dredge the crabs in the plain flour and shake off the excess.
  8. Dip half of the crabs in the batter, let some of the batter drip off, and then fry them in the skillet, turning once, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
  9. Drain on paper towels, place on a heatproof platter and keep warm in the oven.
  10. Repeat with the remaining crabs.
  11. Scoop out some of the bread from the center of the rolls to hollow them slightly.
  12. Spread 1 tablespoon of the sauce on each half of the rolls.
  13. Place 2 or 3 slices of tomato and a small bunch of arugula leaves on the bottom half of each roll.
  14. Set the fried crabs on top, close the sandwiches and serve immediately.

My husband says: Guess which raging Francophile (who also lived in Belgium) in our house will not eat mayonnaise? So I came up with this sour-cream based sauce as a substitute, and a pretty tasty one at that. It also works great with fried or boiled shrimp.

Ever tried making your own fresh horseradish? It’s worth it if you really like it hot, and lots of it. Look for the long, brown root in the grocery store. They should be quite firm when you squeeze them; if they’re spongy, they’re old and won’t be hot enough. Peel and chop into large chunks, then run through your food processor with the grater wheel attachment. Change to the chopping blade, add a couple of pinches of salt and a little white (or cider, if you prefer) vinegar. Process until very finely chopped and no longer woody. Keep dribbling in more vinegar and scraping down the sides, until the mixture is smooth. When done, store in a jar or sealable plastic container, and refrigerate. WARNING: do not open up the food processor and take a big whiff while you’re making this; the fumes can knock you down!