Chez Marcelles Stuffed Soft Shell Crabs Recipes

SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH GARLIC AND BUTTER

Steps:

• Season crabs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. Set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the oil and saute the crabs until soft, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the crabs and set aside. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add the capers and white wine. Cook until wine has reduced to about 1/2. Swirl in the butter and the chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer crabs to a plate, spoon sauce over the crabs and garnish with Essence.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

STUFFED CRAB

Steps:

• In a skillet over low heat melt the butter, add the onion, yellow pepper, fennel, and garlic.
• Season with salt and pepper. Cook slowly for about 6 minutes until all are tender, transfer mixture to a bowl, add bread crumbs, and allow to cool.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• When cooled add crab meat, mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, tarragon, parsley, scallions, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Mix the ingredients well and stuff the shells. Bake for 25 minutes until warmed through.
• Note: the crabs should be poached in a court boullion made with 2 quarts water, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped yellow onion, and 1 chopped celery stalk boiled with 1/2 teaspoon each black peppercorns and coriander seeds. Bring the mixture to a boil and after 10 minutes, add 1 lemon, thinly sliced. Let boil for 10 more minutes, salt the water, and poach the crabs.

CHEZ MARCELLE'S STUFFED SOFT-SHELL CRABS

Steps:

• Cook green onions, garlic, crab and shrimp in white wine about three minutes. Add pimentos, mushrooms, cayenne, white pepper and salt and bread crumbs and cook a minute or two longer. Stir in yolks.
• Chill stuffing for about 1 hour, until firm. Carefully stuff each side cavity of crabs with mixture.
• Season crabs with salt, white pepper and cayenne. Dredge in flour; dip in a mixture of buttermilk and eggs, then in cracker meal, breading each leg individually.
• Heat oil in deep pot to 375 degrees. Deep fry a few crabs at a time until golden brown on both sides.
• Serve crabs with Creolaise sauce. Garnish with lemon and fried parsley.

PAN-FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRABS

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, and pepper; place on a dinner plate. Dredge 2 soft-shell crabs in flour mixture, shaking off excess (make sure crabs are completely coated).
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. The oil should be very hot but not smoking. Place flour-coated crabs, back side down, in sauté pan; reduce heat to medium if pan starts to smoke. Sauté crabs until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes (do not stand too close to pan; crabs tend to spatter during cooking). Turn crabs over, and cook 2 minutes more.
• Add 1 tablespoon butter and a large pinch of parsley to skillet. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over crabs. Keep warm in a low oven. Repeat process until all the crabs are cooked.

STUFFED SOFT-SHELL CRAB

Steps:

• To clean crabs, remove spongy substance (gills) the lies under the tapering points on either side of back shell. Place crabs on back, and remove the small piece at lower part of shell that terminates in a point (apron). Wash crabs thoroughly;drain well.
• Remove any cartilage or shell from crabmeat. Combine crabmeat and next 7 ingredients, mix well. Stuff crabmeat mixture evenly into cavity of each crab, dredge crabs in flour. Fry crabs in deep hot oil (375F) for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve right away.

SOFT-SHELLED CRABS MEUNIèRE

Steps:

• Combine milk, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish and soak crabs 5 minutes. Lift 1 crab out of milk, letting excess drip off, and dredge in flour. Knock off excess flour and transfer to a tray. Repeat with remaining crabs, arranging them in 1 layer as coated.
• Heat clarified butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté crabs, upside down, 2 minutes. Turn over and sauté until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Transfer crabs to a serving dish. Add butter pieces to skillet and cook until golden brown with a nutty aroma. Add lemon juice and parsley (mixture will bubble up) and remove from heat.
• Season sauce with salt and pepper and drizzle over crabs.

CRAB STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF.
• Cook pasta shells according to the package directions.
• Drain and rinse with cool water.
• Sauce: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
• Stir in the tomatoes, red pepper, and oregano and lower heat to medium-low.
• Cover the pan and simmer the mixture 15 min.
• Stir in the salt.
• Combine crab, ricotta cheese, egg, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, parsley, and black pepper.
• l.
• Stuff each pasta shell with some of the ricotta mixture.
• Lay the stuffed shells in a baking dish Add tomato sauce.
• Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the sauce.
• Bake 20 min or so until sauce is bubbly.