Pan seared soft shell crabs are a delectable seafood dish that combines the delicate flavor of soft shell crabs with the tangy brightness of lemon, capers, and olives. This dish is a delightful symphony of flavors and textures, with the crispy coating of the crabs contrasting beautifully with the tender meat inside. The lemon, capers, and olives add a refreshing and piquant touch, elevating the natural sweetness of the crabs. Served with a side of crusty bread or a bed of microgreens, pan seared soft shell crabs with lemon capers and olives is a culinary masterpiece that is sure to impress your taste buds.
Here are our top 10 tried and tested recipes!
SAUTéED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH LEMON-BUTTER PAN SAUCE RECIPE
These crispy, plump, and briny soft-shell crabs cook up in just a few minutes, and are then topped with an even quicker lemon-brown butter pan sauce with capers and parsley. It's as pure a celebration of fresh soft-shell crabs as it gets, with nothing extraneous in the way.
Provided by Daniel Gritzer
Categories Entree Mains Quick and Easy Quick Dinners
Time 20m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a shallow bowl, season flour with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge crabs in the seasoned flour.
- In a 10-inch stainless steel skillet, melt 4 tablespoons (60g) butter over medium-high heat until foamy. Add crabs, shell-side down, and cook until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes; be careful, as soft-shell crabs sometimes pop in the pan. Flip crabs and cook until crisp and golden on bottom side, about 3 minutes. Transfer crabs to paper towel-lined plates and season lightly with salt.
- Add remaining 4 tablespoons (60g) butter to the skillet and melt until foaming. Lower heat to medium and cook until the butter turns a medium-brown color, about 2 minutes.
- Add capers and cook until lightly crisped, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice, swirl to combine, and remove from heat.
- Stir parsley into pan sauce, season with salt, if needed. Transfer crabs to a serving platter and spoon sauce on top. Serve right away.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 704 kcal, Carbohydrate 13 g, Cholesterol 376 mg, Fiber 1 g, Protein 48 g, SaturatedFat 31 g, Sodium 1274 mg, Sugar 0 g, Fat 51 g, ServingSize Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a starter, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH CAPER BROWN BUTTER
Steps:
- To prepare the soft-shell crabs: Put the flour in a pie dish or plate and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Dredge the crabs in the seasoned flour to coat, shaking off the excess. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame. Lay the crabs in the hot oil in a single layer without crowding; you may have to fry them in batches. Be careful, the crabs have a tendency to pop and spatter. Cook the crabs for about 3 minutes on each side, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and cover to keep warm.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. Let the butter melt and cook until it just begins to brown. Add the capers and wine; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until almost dry. Add the lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Pour the caper brown butter sauce over the crabs and serve with lemon wedges.
PAN-FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRABS
Ask your fishmonger to clean soft-shell crabs for you. Crabs should be cooked no more than six hours after they are cleaned.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Seafood Recipes
Number Of Ingredients 8
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.
SOFT-SHELL CRAB WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND ALMONDS
Provided by David Tanis
Categories dinner, quick, main course
Time 30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Season the flour for dredging: mix together flour, cumin, coriander, cayenne, paprika and salt in a shallow bowl. Quickly dip both sides of the crabs in flour mixture and shake off excess.
- Put 4 tablespoons melted butter in a large, wide cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When butter is hot, carefully put in the crabs, top side down. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, until well crisped and cooked through. Remove crabs to a warmed platter. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
- Add 4 more tablespoons melted butter to pan and add sliced almonds. Stir to coat and cook until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add preserved lemon and cilantro and turn off heat.
- Spoon butter sauce over crabs, surround with lemon wedges and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 355, UnsaturatedFat 12 grams, Carbohydrate 16 grams, Fat 30 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 9 grams, SaturatedFat 15 grams, Sodium 68 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram, TransFat 1 gram
EASY PAN-SEARED COD WITH LEMON, OLIVES AND CAPERS
A southern Mediterranean recipe for pan-seared fish, with bright, assertive flavors!
Provided by Marilena Leavitt
Categories Seafood Main
Time 14m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Pat dry the fish fillets very well, then season them generously with salt and pepper and set them aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, olives, and capers.
- Zest the lemon and cut it into thin slices
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. It should be large enough to accommodate the fish and the lemon slices. Add the olive oil and, when it gets hot, carefully lower the two fish fillets into the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Using a fish spatula, gently press the fillets against the skillet ensuring that the whole side of the fish is in contact with the heat (this is important especially when cooking fish with the skin still on - it ensures crispy skin). Let the fish cook for about three minutes and then shake the skillet gently to check if the fish releases from the pan. If it does not, let it cook for another 30 seconds (when the fillets form a crust, they will easily release from the pan). Flip the fish to the uncooked side, then add the lemon slices to the pan around the fillets. Cook the fish for two minutes more (the cooking time depends on the thickness of the fish and how well you want the fish cooked). With a fork, check the flesh of the fish to make sure it flakes easily. Flip the slices of lemon. Add the garlic mixture to the skillet and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Transfer the fish to two plates and spoon the mixture of olives and capers over the fish. Sprinkle the fillets with the reserved lemon zest and celery leaves. Serve with extra lemon on the side.
PAN-SEARED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH LEMON, CAPERS, AND OLIVES
Steps:
- Sift the semolina flour and all-purpose flour together and dust the crabs with it. Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a sauté pan large enough to hold the crabs in one layer over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter has melted, add the crabs and sauté on both sides, seasoning with salt and pepper, until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the crabs and keep them warm. Add the wine to the sauté pan. When it has evaporated, add two-thirds of the lemon juice, the capers, the rest of the butter, and the chopped parsley. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the sauce is creamy. Pour the remaining lemon juice into a mixing bowl, add ¼ teaspoon salt, and whisk until the salt has dissolved. Add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and whisk until well mixed. Place the arugula in a salad bowl and add the watercress, lemon wedges, and caper berries. Add the lemon juice-and-oil mixture and mix well. Serve the crabs with the sauce on top and the salad on the side. A South African Chardonnay will play beautifully off the crabmeat and the peppery arugula.
PAN-FRIED SOFT-SHELL CRABS
Boom! Pan-fried soft-shell crabs served with lemon-butter and an Asian-inspired ginger and scallion soy sauce.
Provided by ERIKIM21
Time 20m
Yield 3
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Combine flour and seafood seasoning in a resealable zip-top bag. Seal and shake to mix. Combine egg and milk in a bowl. Dredge crabs in egg mixture, then add to seasoned flour and shake to coat. Shake off excess when removing from bag.
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Add crabs in a single layer and cook for 3 minutes; flip and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Remove to a serving dish.
- Mix mayonnaise, chives, pickle juice, mustard, seafood seasoning, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together for remoulade. Serve with crabs.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 516.2 calories, Carbohydrate 10.8 g, Cholesterol 100.4 mg, Fat 48 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 10.8 g, SaturatedFat 7.2 g, Sodium 1224.1 mg, Sugar 1.4 g
SOFT-SHELL CRABS SAUTEED IN BROWN BUTTER
Provided by Molly O'Neill
Categories dinner, main course
Time 35m
Yield Four servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Combine the milk and Tabasco in a bowl. Mix the mustard powder, cayenne pepper, white pepper, salt, sugar and flour in a shallow pan. Dip the crabs in the milk and dredge in flour mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until bubbling. Place the crabs in the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook until tender, about 2 more minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Add 1/2 cup lemon juice to pan and cook over high heat until it glazes the pan. Stir in remaining butter and cook over medium heat until brown, about 5 minutes. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Take the pan off the heat. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, pour over crabs and serve.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 574, UnsaturatedFat 9 grams, Carbohydrate 62 grams, Fat 29 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 19 grams, SaturatedFat 17 grams, Sodium 491 milligrams, Sugar 10 grams, TransFat 1 gram
SOFT-SHELL CRAB WITH LEMON BUTTER
Make and share this Soft-Shell Crab With Lemon Butter recipe from Food.com.
Provided by ratherbeswimmin
Categories Crab
Time 42m
Yield 2 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Make the coating: in a shallow dish, stir the all the coating ingredients together.
- Remove the feeler underneath the crab shells on both sides; rinse the crab and dry carefully.
- In a big skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the vegetable oil; add in shallots and saute until lightly softened, about 1 minute.
- Roll the crabs in the flour mixture and place them in the skillet; saute, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side.
- When they have finished cooking and have turned pink, add the lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and cook another minute or two.
- Make sure the garlic is cooked but not browned; taste for seasoning.
- Transfer the crabs to individual plates and garnish with lemon and parsley; serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 411.3, Fat 31, SaturatedFat 15.7, Cholesterol 126.5, Sodium 253.2, Carbohydrate 16.8, Fiber 0.8, Sugar 0.9, Protein 17.6
SHEILA'S SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH LEMON BUTTER SAUCE
When my boyfriend told me soft-shell crabs was one of his favorite dishes, I knew I was in trouble. I had never made them before, so I realized I was in for a long learning process. Well, I think I have finally mastered it. As a matter of fact, when we were recently out to dinner, he ordered some soft-shell crabs and then proclaimed (with surprise) that they weren't near as good as mine! So, I will share my success with you.
Provided by JackieOhNo
Categories Crab
Time 25m
Yield 3 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In Ziploc bag, add flour and Old Bay seasoning. Seal and shake to mix.
- In bowl, combine eggs and milk.
- Dredge crabs in egg mixture, then add to seasoned flour and shake to coat. Shake off excess when removing from bag.
- Heat 3 T. oil in large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Add 3 crabs in a single layer and cook for about 3 minutes, then turn and cook for another 3 minutes. The crabs should be nice and golden brown. (Be careful when cooking, because they sometimes will pop and/or spatter.) Remove crabs to serving dish.
- Heat remaining 3 T. oil in pan, then add the next 3 crabs and repeat cooking instructions.
- Do not clean out pan when crabs are removed, but add butter. Let the butter melt and turn a little brown. Add the capers and the wine. Cook for about 1 minute, then add the lemon juice and the parsley. Cook for about 2 more minutes, or until reduced by about a third. Pour sauce over the crabs and serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 665.1, Fat 47, SaturatedFat 14.9, Cholesterol 198.8, Sodium 485.7, Carbohydrate 38.4, Fiber 1.6, Sugar 2.3, Protein 17
Tips:
- Choose fresh soft-shell crabs: Look for crabs that are lively and have a bright, healthy appearance.
- Clean the crabs properly: Remove the gills and mouthparts from the crabs before cooking.
- Use a large skillet: This will help to prevent the crabs from overcrowding and ensure that they cook evenly.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat: This will help to create a crispy sear on the crabs.
- Cook the crabs for 3-4 minutes per side: Or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
- Serve the crabs with lemon wedges, capers, and olives: These accompaniments will help to enhance the flavor of the crabs.
Conclusion:
Pan-seared soft-shell crabs are a delicious and easy-to-make seafood dish. By following the tips above, you can ensure that your crabs turn out perfectly crispy and flavorful. Serve them with lemon wedges, capers, and olives for a complete and satisfying meal.
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