Photo: Fried Soft-Shell Crab Poboys Recipe
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
- 1 tablespoon Essence, plus more for sprinkling, recipe follows
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 soft-shell crabs, cleaned and rinsed gently under cold running water
- 4 pieces of French bread, each about 8 to 10 inches in length, cut in half lengthwise
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 creole tomato, or other very ripe flavorful tomato, very thinly sliced
- Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
- Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oil in a large saucepan or deep fryer to 360 degrees F.
Rinse crabs and pat dry. Combine the flour with the Essence, salt and ground black pepper and stir to combine well. Lightly dredge each crab in the seasoned flour, making sure that the crabs are completely coated.
Using tongs, gently lower the crabs (in batches if necessary) completely into the oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the crabs over and fry an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy all over. Be careful - crabs will splatter as they are cooking! Carefully transfer crabs to paper-lined plates to drain briefly before assembling poboys. Sprinkle with Essence when still hot.
Using a spatula, lightly coat both of the cut sides of the French bread with some of the mayonnaise. Place two of the fried soft shell crabs onto one side of the bread, and top with shredded lettuce and tomato slices. Top with the other half of the bread and serve immediately.
Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.
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By truckr_matt_7569272
Pleasantville, IL
on May 01, 2010
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I combined this recipe with "Soft Shelled Crab Po-Boys with Creole Tartar Sauce" also by Emeril. Basically this recipe but I added his sauce from the other recipe. Excellent sandwich but couldn't picture it without the sauce.
By pattyjustlovesk...
Kirkland, WA
on August 23, 2008
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My husband was a little apprehensive about eating these, shells and all but was a good sport and took them outside to deep fry. We both loved them and are in fact having them again tomorrow. Living on the west coast we can't get fresh but Pike Place Market in Seattle had the frozen. Can only imaging how good they would be with fresh. The only change I made was to add Essence to the mayo. Thanks Emeril for a new adventure.
By butchandgayle_6...
youngsville, LA
on November 02, 2006
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My husband was a little apprehensive about eating these, shells and all but was a good sport and took them outside to deep fry. We both loved them and are in fact having them again tomorrow. Living on the west coast we can't get fresh but Pike Place Market in Seattle had the frozen. Can only imaging how good they would be with fresh. The only change I made was to add Essence to the mayo. Thanks Emeril for a new adventure.
Read all 4 reviews