Soft-Shell Crab with Lemon Herb Butter and Spring Vegetable Ragout

Recipe courtesy Bob Kinkead

Show: Episode:

Rated 4 stars out of 5
  • Rate This Recipe
  • Read 4 Reviews
Total Time:
1 hr 0 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Yield:
4 servings
Level:
Easy
x

Save To My Recipe Box

Please limit to 20 characters

Saving Recipe

Adding Recipe

Or Do Not Add

Success

This recipe was saved to your Folder_Name folder.

x

Save To My Recipe Box

Please sign in to save this recipe to your Recipe Box!!

25 Characters Max

Enter Time:

:
:

You can create up to five timers

Ingredients

Soft-Shell Crabs:

  • 4 soft-shell crabs, preferably primes
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup butter, unsalted, cut in cubes
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon leaves, snipped
  • 1 teaspoon chervil, leaves picked

Vegetable Ragout:

  • 1/2 cup haricots verts, picked and cut into 1-inch lengths
  • 1/2 cup fava beans, shelled but not peeled
  • 1/2 cup fresh English peas, shelled
  • 6 medium asparagus, peeled
  • 1 ounce butter
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 12 scallions, white only or use pearl onions, roasted
  • 8 French breakfast radishes, quartered lengthwise
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon summer savory, chopped

Directions

Clean the crabs and remove the air sacs by lifting the bib on both sides. In a stainless bowl, add the milk and buttermilk and place the crabs in it to coat.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salt and pepper, to taste.

In a non-corrosive pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil and gradually whisk in the butter, lowering the heat and whisking constantly until all is incorporated. Keep warm.

Bring 4 saucepans of salted water to a boil. Blanche the haricots in one, the favas in another, the peas in a third and asparagus in a fourth. When just cooked, strain the vegetables and add each into separate ice water baths. Strain and reserve the haricots, peas and peel the favas, keeping cool. When favas are cooled, peel outer skin and reserve. Cut the asparagus on the bias.

In a saute pan, add 1 ounce of the butter sauce and over medium heat, add the shallots. Sweat until transparent and add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Saute the scallions (or pearl onions) and radishes until warmed through. They should still be crisp. Add the blanched favas, haricots verts, peas and roasted scallions or pearl onions and cook a few more minutes. Check salt and pepper and add savory. Keep warm.

Preheat and oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the soft-shell crabs from the milk mixture and shake off excess. Dip into seasoned flour and shake off any excess.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add the vegetable oil and when hot, add the soft-shells, top down. Saute about 2 minutes until brown and crisp and turn. Place in an oven for 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through. Remove from pan and wipe out, keeping crabs warm. Deglaze with the lemon juice, add the butter sauce, tarragon and chervil; do not boil.

On 4 warm plates, place about 1/2-cup of the vegetable mixture and 1 soft-shell crab, surround with the butter herb sauce.

Print Recipe

Browse Reviews by Keywordnew!

Loading review filters...

COMMENT ON THIS PROJECT

    

Sign in

All fields are required.

E-mail Address:

Password:

Remember me on this computer

Signing in

Please enter your email address and we will send your password

E-mail Address

Your password has been sent and should arrive in your mailbox very soon.

Not a member?

Sign up for My Food Network to share photos, show off your style, and connect to an enthusiastic and helpful community.

It's free and easy.

Review This Recipe

You must be logged in to review this recipe.

Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 4 reviews

  • on August 25, 2010

    Flag

    This butter sauce is a real keeper. All you need to remember is to keep it warm until you serve it. If it gets cold or if it boils it will break and it won't come back together.
    Bring the 2T of water to a boil and whisk the cold butter (which I cut into little cubes slowly into the boiling water. Don't keep the pan on the heat - but keep it warm (maybe in a warmed toaster oven. After sauteeing the crabs, deglaze the skillet with lemon juice 0 then add the butter sauce. It's really, really good. Try it once - it isn't complicated at all once you tried it. This sauce works well for a lot of dishes if you're a fan of lemons like I am. Great with piccata.

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No
  • on June 05, 2006

    Flag

    This sounds real good, however this is a really confusing recipe the way it is written. I'd love to make the butter sauce, but I really can't get it straight. It seems to be mixed up with the vegetable part. Is there any way you could re-write this recipe and totally separate the ingredients and directions. I'm giving it a 3 because I can't mentally taste anything except the fried softshell crab.

    Thanks, Nolasandy

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No
  • on November 07, 2004

    Flag

    For the reviewer who couldn't find the butter sauce in the recipe - this is it.

    In a non-corrosive pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil and gradually whisk in the butter, lowering the heat and whisking constantly until all is incorporated. Keep warm.

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No
Advertisement

What's Hot

Iron Chef America

Hosted by: Alton Brown

See More Recipes Like This From Food.com

Free Recipe of the Day Newsletter

Let Food Network chefs plan what's for dinner, with quick and easy recipes delivered to your inbox daily.

Ads by Google

© 2013 Television Food Network G.P. All rights reserved.