Mmmm … soft shell crab. This has to be one of my favourites. My cravings for this inexpensive seafood have been so strong lately I couldn’t help but duck off to Chinatown over the weekend and pick up a box of these little critters as well as a few fresh ingredients to go with it. The crabs usually come boxed in kilogram quantities from many seafood shops for around $16. If your at the Sydney Fish Market expect to pay $20 for one kilo. Each box holds around 7 or 8 crabs and they’re neatly wrapped in plastic for easy freeing if you’re not using them all.
Here’s a delicious light meal I knocked up for dinner last night.
soft shell crab with garlic chive flowers
original recipe by hnf
ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp oil
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 bunch flowering garlic chives, cut into 7cm lengths (discard hard ends)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Umeboshi vinegar
3 soft shell crabs, halved and drained of moisture
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 cup flour + 1/2 cup cornflour, mixed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 tbsp red chilli, finely diced
2/3 cup chervil leaves
- In a small dish, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce and vinegar. Mix well and set aside.
- On a large plate or in a bowl combine the flours, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat about 3 cups of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- Dip the crab halves into the egg white, drain and then coat in the flour mixture. Shake off excess and fry in the vegetable oil a few minutes each side, or until cooked. Drain and set aside in a warm place.
- Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a wok, add the garlic and stir-fry over medium heat until lightly golden.
- Add the garlic chives, soy sauce mixture and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the chilli and crab and toss quickly to coat.
- Spoon onto serving plates and garnish with chervil leaves.
- Serve with cooked rice, if you wish.
- Enjoy.
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