Sauteed Soft Shell Crabs with Sugar Snap Peas & Hazelnuts
Submitted by JudeL
Soft shell crabs seared in clarified butter meet brown butter sauce spiked with sherry vinegar, toasted hazelnuts, and sweet sugar snap peas. Elegant springtime seafood in under an hour.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
15 minREADY
60 minSoft shell crabs deserve special treatment. Dredged in flour and sautéed shell-side down in clarified butter, they blister and crisp before a quick finish in the oven. Meanwhile, butter browns in a separate pan until nutty, then sherry vinegar brightens it up along with crunchy hazelnuts and crisp-tender sugar snap peas.
The crabs sputter when they hit the hot pan (that’s normal), but the reward is worth it: tender meat encased in delicate, crispy shell.
Chef Tips
- Clean carefully: Remove eyes, gills, and apron just before cooking for freshest flavor
- Milk soak tenderizes: Soaking crabs in milk for 10-15 minutes mellows any strong flavor and tenderizes
- Clarified butter key: Clarifying butter removes milk solids so it can handle high heat without burning
- Brown butter watch: Pull butter off heat as soon as it turns golden and smells nutty to prevent burning
Ingredients
Directions
In a small saucepan melt 5 tablespoons of the butter over moderately low heat.
With a spoon remove the foam off the top and discard.
Spoon the clear butter in to a small bowl leaving any milky-watery residue at the bottom of the saucepan.
Discard the residue.
The clear butter is clarified butter and has a higher smo king point now that the milk solids have been removed.
Clean the soft shell crabs by first cutting away the eyes and mouth.
Lift up th e top side flaps and pull out the feathery gills.
Turn the crab over and fold b ack the tail flap, also called the apron, and pull away from the body and discard.
Place crabs in a shallow dish and add enough milk to cover.
Soak crabs for 10 to 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).
Season each crab with salt and pepper.
Dredge each crab in the flour and shake off any excess.
In a heavy large skillet heat the clarified butter over moderat ely high heat until hot but not smoking.
Carefully place the crabs in the skill et, shell-side down; they tend to sputter and pop.
Cook the crabs until they be gin to blister and then flip.
Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and bake f or 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate skillet melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter ove r moderate heat and cook until the butter just begins to brown.
Add the sherry vinegar and remove from the heat.
Add the chopped nuts and blanched peas, tossi ng to coat and combine.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Place a crab on each serving plate and top with brown butter sauce, nuts and peas.
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