Home Cookin'....Softshells Provencal

Some folks don't like 'em. My wife doesn't like them. She'll pick regular crabs, but can't bring herself to eat them shell and all. I like them deep fried on a roll, or Provencal style. I remember the recipe from my days at Legal Seafood, back when I was working saute. So you start out with crabs from a reputable source. Don't buy them just anywhere. You want them to be alive when you get them.Dice a couple of tomatoes, quarter some mushrooms, juice a lemon, chop some parsley....

I dredge the crabs in a some flour/salt/pepper, then saute in grapeseed oil and butter. 3 minutes per side, shell side down first. When they are finished, put them on a pan in a warm oven to keep them hot.

Add a little more butter, then some minced garlic. Give that a minute or two, then put the mushrooms in the pan. Give them a minute or two, then toss in the tomatoes. after about 30 seconds put in a splash of white wine. Let that simmer for a sec then deglaze with some fresh lemon juice. Remove the pan from the heat, swirl in a tablespoon of chilled butter, salt/pepper to taste.

Put the veggies center plate, then put the crabs on top. Spoon the sauce over, add a little parsley and lemon et voila!

Give 'em a shot!

Thanks for reading.